It's been a fascinating time for the entertainment world. Following the public fall of Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement, personal issues and missteps have begun ending careers. Most recently this has extended to social media platforms. Roseanne Barr was recently fired by ABC after tweets deemed racist by the public, and social media has quickly become the most dangerous place for creatives. This was also seen last week when James Gunn was canned by Marvel/Disney after incendiary tweets from years ago resurfaced. It's a shakeup that has shaken plenty of directors, including future Nightwing director Chris McKay. Because a week after Gunn's Twitter-related firing, McKay has deleted his personal Twitter page.
This news is sure to surprise the hardcore DC fandom, as Chris McKay is usually very active on Twitter. The Lego Batman Movie director is known for engaging directly with fans on social media, and helping to keep anticipation for the Nightwing movie at a fever pitch, despite the blockbuster's lack of updates. But it looks like McKay may be nervous about his past Tweets, and therefore took a break from the popular social media platform.
Chris McKay's departure from Twitter comes just days after Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson did his own Twitter purge. While he didn't close his account, Johnson deleted some 20,000 tweets from the past few years. Johnson recently spoke up about his decision, revealing it was simply easier to clean up the account than worry about every post from years before he joined Lucasfilm.
Both Rian Johnson and Chris McKay's respective Twitter purges are obviously connected to James Gunn's shocking departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is one of the most popular properties in the behemoth shared universe, with Vol. 2 met with massive box office and critical acclaim in 2017. The Guardians threequel was set to be one of the first MCU blockbusters after Avengers 4, although now its unclear if/when the franchise will continue without Gunn. Some fans are hoping Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi will take the job, while others think Marvel should just end the franchise now, before the inevitable disappointment of a Gunn-less Guardians movie.
As far as Chris McKay goes, it was probably wise for him to cleanse his Twitter in the wake of so many social media-based firings. McKay's passion for bringing Dick Grayson's solo film to theaters is palpable, and he doesn't want a poorly worded post or potentially damaging tweets to ruin those chances. Perhaps he'll create a new Twitter account, therefore allowing him to one again communicate with the rabid DC fanbase, but without worrying about the skeletons in his closet.
Unfortunately, it's unclear exactly if/when Nightwing will actually arrive in theaters, as the script is still being developed. CinemaBlend will keep you updated on all the updates as details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.