The Guardians of the Galaxy cast wants James Gunn back on as director

In an open letter released Monday, members of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast said they "fully support James Gunn," the movie director fired earlier this month after old tweets were unearthed where he joked about pedophilia.

Gunn, who was set to direct the franchise's third installment, was fired by the Walt Disney Co., a move that "shocked" the Guardians of the Galaxy stars, they wrote. The letter was signed by Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and other actors in the film, who said they waited to respond "in order to think, pray, listen, and discuss."

The cast said they will not defend Gunn's jokes, but did want to share their experience with Gunn as a director. "The character he has shown in the wake of his firing is consistent with the man he was every day on set, and his apology, now and from years ago when first addressing these remarks, we believe is from the heart, a heart we all know, trust, and love," the letter states.

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There is "little due process in the court of public opinion," the letter continues. "James is likely not the last good person to be put on trial," and the hope is that "Americans from across the political spectrum can ease up on the character assassinations and stop weaponizing mob mentality." Pratt shared the letter on his Instagram feed, and said in the caption he didn't support Gunn's "inappropriate jokes" but would "love to see him reinstated as director of Volume 3."