Disney has reinstated James Gunn as director of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’

James Gunn has been rehired by Disney’s Marvel Studios to helm “Guardians of the Galaxy 3” after being pulled from the project last summer, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC.

The director was fired after social media posts he had made a decade ago making light of pedophilia and rape had been made public. However, the studio was swayed by Gunn’s public apology and decided to reverse its decision and bring Gunn back into the fold. Deadline was the first to report the news Friday.

Earlier this month, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige confirmed that Gunn’s script for the third installment of “Guardians of the Galaxy” would be used when the film eventually began shooting. At that time, no comment was made about Gunn returning to the project.