A TOP film director insists he is a different man now after Disney axed him from shooting the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie after a number of offensive social media posts resurfaced online.

James Gunn apologised for tweets which appeared to joke about paedophilia, rape and molestation were unearthed and widely shared.

In one of the now deleted tweets the American filmmaker wrote: "The best thing about being raped is when you’re done being raped and it’s like ‘whew this feels great, not being raped!'"

In another, he wrote: "I like it when little boys touch me in my silly place."

The Herald:

He also joked about subjects including the Holocaust, Aids, and the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn said in announcing his sacking: "The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James' Twitter feed are indefensible.

"[They are] inconsistent with our studio's values, and we have severed our business relationship with him."

The 51-year-old took the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise from an obscure Marvel Comics title about a group of multicoloured misfits and turned it into a space opera completed with action, comedy and retro music.

The first instalment was one of Marvel's most successful films, making more than $771m (£540m) at the worldwide box office.

Gunn has also worked on the successful Avengers franchise.

He began in low-budget filmmaking, including a stint at Troma Studios, anad made his directing debut in 2006 with Slither followed by the superhero spoof Super.

After being axed, Gunn released a statement apologising for the tweets.

He said: "My words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative.

"I have regretted them for many years since not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they don't reflect the person I am today or have been for some time.

The Herald:

Gunn, far left, discusses filming with stars of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

"Regardless of how much time has passed, I understand and accept the business decisions taken today.

"Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then."

Gunn has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, and his tweets from 2008 and 2011 first came to light when conservative news website the Daily Caller unearthed them.

A number of conservative personalities then shared the tweets and called for Mr Gunn to be dropped by Disney.

Dave Bautista, who plays Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy, defended the director on social media.

He said: “I will have more to say but for right now all I will say is this..@JamesGunn is one of the most loving, caring, good natured people I have ever met.

“He’s gentle and kind and cares deeply for people and animals. He’s made mistakes. We all have. I’m NOT ok with what’s happening to him.”

The Herald:

It is not yet clear who Gunn's replacement will be.

In addition to the third Guardians, it was announced last year that Gunn was working on a revival of the TV show Starsky and Hutch for Amazon.

The Herald: