Dave Bautista Is All Good With Disney Now Following James Gunn's Rehiring

James Gunn's number one fan Dave Bautista has made his peace with Disney. Most of the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy had publicly spoken out against the company following Gunn's firing from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 last year, but none spoke more loudly than Bautista, who had threatened to leave the franchise altogether. But now with Gunn happily back in the employ of Marvel and Disney, Bautista has repaired his relations with the House of Mouse.

In an interview with Pro Wrestling Sheet (via Collider), Bautista confirmed that all is well with Disney following his public showing of loyalty for his Guardians of the Galaxy director and close friend James Gunn:

"I got people who are very understanding of where I stood. A lot of them just weren't outspoken about it. And I just happened to be very outspoken about the way I felt. James [Gunn] is my friend. I love him. He helped change my life and I know he's a decent person. He was being attacked. And what do you do when your friends are being attacked? You defend them, or you're not really a friend."

But despite his appeals to Disney back when Gunn had been dropped from the franchise, Bautista said he had actually never talked to people at the House of Mouse. "I never actually talked to anybody from Disney. I only ever talk to people from Marvel," Bautista said. "And they were very understanding about the way I felt."

But all's well that ends well, and it seems like Bautista will still be set to star in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as the empty-headed warrior Drax, his breakout role in Hollywood. The actor will be quite busy in the following year, starring in the R-rated summer comedy Stuber, testing the waters in his first family film My Spy, and appearing in the highly anticipated Dune. And he may be even busier if he sticks it out with his best friend Gunn and gets a role in Warner Bros.' The Suicide Squad.

We can look forward to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 sometime in the years ahead.