Guardians of the Galaxy fans pay for 'rehire James Gunn' billboard near Disneyland

'Save the galaxy'

James Gunn at the Guardians of the Galaxy premiere (Getty)

Guardians of the Galaxy fans have rounded together to purchase a hire a digital billboard urging Disney to rehire James Gunn as director for Volume 3.

The studio fired Gunn earlier this year after Tweets joking about rape and paedophilia from nearly a decade ago resurfaced online. Disney and Marvel have since suspended production on the third Guardians film.

Fans of the franchise and director have since taken matters into their own hands, renting space on a digital billboard in Garden Grove, California, just four miles from Disneyland, Anaheim.

“Save the galaxy: James Gunn for Vol 3,” reads the billboard, stylised like the title credits for the first two Guardians film.

The campaign to rehire James Gunn started with a petition signed by more than 400,000 people. A website was soon created and a GoFundMe page launched on the 20 September. They have so far raised over $5,000 and aims for $12,000.

“We really love Gunn as both a creator and the man we’ve seen him mature into,” Giuseppe Cincinnato, one of the masterminds behind the board, told The Hollywood Reporter.

“Even if this wasn’t going to cause Disney to see their mistake, we could at least show James Gunn how much support he has in his corner of the galaxy.”

Since being fired by Disney, Gunn has been hired to write and potentially direct the sequel to Suicide Squad, another superhero movie, for Warner Bros.