EXCLUSIVE: Dave Bautista has threatened to quit Guardian's of the Galaxy is James Gunn's script isn't used

“Nobody’s defending his tweets, but this was a smear campaign on a good man,” he said, speaking to ShortList’s Tom Ellen. “I spoke to Chris Pratt the day after it happened and he’s a bit religious so he wanted time to pray and figure it out, but I was more like: f*ck this. This is bullshit. James is one of the kindest, most decent people I’ve met.”

Bautista said Gunn had already turned in the script for Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3. A replacement director for the film, due to shoot early next year, has not yet been announced.

“Where I’m at right now is that if [Marvel] don’t use that script, then I’m going to ask them to release me from my contract, cut me out or recast me.

“I’d be doing James a disservice if I didn’t.”

Bautista echoed this sentiment on Twitter during the early hours of Monday when he tweeted: “I will do what i’m legally obligated to do but [Guardians] without [James Gunn] is not what I signed up for. GOTG w/o [James Gunn] just isn’t GOTG. It’s also pretty nauseating to work for someone who’d empower a smear campaign by fascists #cybernazis. That’s just how I feel. “