Director James Gunn has recently been hired by Warner Bros. and DC to direct the sequel to the film, “Suicide Squad.” Gunn, who directed the wildly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel, was fired by Disney in July when a series of old tweets joking about pedophilia and rape came to light. This is the first job Gunn has taken since the firing.

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Upon the firing, Gunn released the following statement: “My words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative. I have regretted them for many years since — not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative as I had hoped, but also because they don’t reflect the person I am today or have been for some time. Regardless of how much time has passed, I understand and accept the business decisions taken today. Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then. All I can do now, beyond offering my sincere and heartfelt regret, is to be the best human being I can be: accepting, understanding, committed to equality, and far more thoughtful about my public statements and my obligations to our public discourse. To everyone inside my industry and beyond, I again offer my deepest apologies. Love to all.”

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Despite the fact that Gunn took full responsibility and accepted Disney’s decision as justified, the cast of first two Guardians films have since defended Gunn, issuing a petition to have Disney rescinded the firing. Dave Bautista, who played Drax in the films, has even threatened to step away from Guardians 3 if Gunn’s script is not used. Dave Bautista has also tweeted out a desire to be included in the film, which very well may happen as Gunn has stated he is intending to put his own spin on film.

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Warner Bros. is likely trying to use Gunn’s critical success with the “Guardians” films in order to boost the favor of new film with critics. Currently, the first “Suicide Squad” sits at a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. To contrast, the two “Guardians” films have a 91% and 88% respectively.

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Unlike other Hollywood controversies, public sentiment seems to be in Gunn’s, the perpetrator, favor. According to social media analysis company Talkwalker, positive public sentiment towards Warner Bros. is higher than Disney. While there was a fall in positive sentiment towards “Suicide Squad 2” following Gunn’s hiring, the sentiment has largely returned to where it was before the announcement.

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It is currently unknown who will replace Gunn for “Guardians 3.” Many have speculated that Taika Waititi may take over, who directed “Thor: Ragnarok,” which many viewed as having a similar style to the two “Guardians” films. However, neither Waititi nor Disney have made any statements to indicate that to be the case.