Discord in the Marvel Universe: 'Guardians' Cast Defends Gunn
*By Max Godnick*
The Guardians of the Galaxy are taking on their toughest battle yet: convincing Disney to rehire the director James Gunn.
Cast members of the hit Marvel franchise, including its stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Bradley Cooper, published an [open letter](https://twitter.com/zoesaldana/status/1023972129870503937) Monday on Twitter, urging the studio to reverse its decision to fire Gunn after his old joke tweets about pedophilia and rape resurfaced [earlier this month](https://cheddar.com/videos/vulture-columnist-on-the-tweets-that-got-james-gunn-fired).
The cast was "discouraged by those so easily duped into believing the many outlandish conspiracy theories surrounding [\Gunn.]\"
It's unclear whether Disney will answer the stars' plea.
"It would set a really uncomfortable precedent," said Sean O'Connell, the managing editor of Cinemablend. "They reacted to the outrage over Gunn's initial tweets, now they're reacting to the outrage to the reaction."
The decision to fire Gunn marks a rare public-relations headache in an otherwise watershed year for Disney's Marvel Studios. "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Black Panther" were two of the company's most successful titles ever, and are among the 10 highest-grossing movies of all time. Previous staffing shakeups at Marvel, like the decision to replace the directors of "Ant-Man" in 2015 and "Thor: Ragnarok" in 2017, were based solely on creative differences.
"Marvel Studios has been rolling along with very few waves," O'Connell said Tuesday in an interview with Cheddar.
Now, the pressure is on, as Disney and Marvel search for the Gunn's replacement for the third installment of the "Guardians" franchise, which is scheduled to begin production in early 2019.
Given the very public backlash to Gunn's firing and the support for his reinstatement (an [online petition] (https://www.change.org/p/marvel-re-hire-james-gunn) with over 355,000 signatures), O'Connell said he's doubtful the studio will find someone willing to take the position.
"I don't know any director who would want to now step into that," he said.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/will-disney-listen-to-the-guardians-of-the-galaxy-cast).
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
U.S. sports betting is booming as NFL and college football fuel massive activity. BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt breaks down trends, growth, and what’s next.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
Disney's changes to a program for disabled visitors are facing challenges in federal court and through a shareholder proposal. The Disability Access Service program, which allows disabled visitors to skip long lines, was overhauled last year. Disney now mostly limits the program to those with developmental disabilities like autism who have difficulty waiting in lines. The changes have sparked criticism from some disability advocates. A shareholder proposal submitted by disability advocates calls for an independent review of Disney's disability policies. Disney plans to block this proposal, claiming it's misleading. It's the latest struggle by Disney to accommodate disabled visitors while stopping past abuses by some theme park guests.
With a merger this big, creators, studios, and theaters all face uncertain futures. Here’s what experts are worried about and what good could come from it.
With disengagement rising and hybrid work shifting, 'Everybody Matters' author Bob Chapman explains why treating people well could define the future of work.
We sat down with Ali Furman, U.S. Consumer Markets Industry Leader at consulting firm PwC to ask what trends she garnered from the initial data this year.
