Marvel Has Clarified James Gunn’s Involvement With ‘Captain Marvel’

James Gunn’s involvement with the Marvel Cinematic Universe is (was) mostly relegated to Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. But he’s also credited as an executive producer on Avengers: Infinity War (he even suggested the song the Guardians come out to) and he was reportedly enlisted to oversee the MCU’s more “cosmic characters.” Before he was fired for “offensive” tweets, however, Gunn provided notes during production of Captain Marvel, which takes place 50 percent in space and 50 percent on Earth.

“I think he’s read the script, we talked to him about it,” Captain Marvel executive producer Jonathan Schwartz told Comic Book (the interview was conducted before Gunn was fired, but only published today). “It takes place before a lot of what he’s doing happens, so I’m sure the Skrulls will be a fun toy to play with at some point. But I think we’ve really been able to do our own thing. But we love when James gives input for sure.” Marvel is still planning on using Gunn’s script for Guardians, Vol. 3, which MCU chief Kevin Feige said “will happen.”

Schwartz went on to compare Captain Marvel‘s tone to “RoboCop or Total Recall or Terminator 2 or Independence Day,” while co-director Ryan Fleck added The French Connection. “Yes, not an action film but you have to look for it,” he said. “There are little moments, homages to shots from our favorite movies.” Captain Marvel comes out on March 8. Here’s a new teaser.