James Gunn's vulgar tweets reveal the power of social media to force Hollywood vigilance

James Gunn runs on the quicksilver creativity that Hollywood craves: His "Guardians of the Galaxy" films were wild rides of clever asides, many delivered by a gun-toting raccoon, that were innocent enough for children and sly enough for parents. The franchise re-imagined intergalactic hijinks and grossed more than $1.6 billion for Disney.

But the director now finds himself careening through a more perilous universe, a post-#MeToo era in which social media propels vigilant and vindictive campaigns against celebrities, politicians and CEOs. The cultural shift against sexual and racial infractions has been swift and resounding, especially in Hollywood, where permissiveness has been celebrated for generations.

Once indulgent of major talent, studios and corporations are reacting to blunt social media storms swiftly and radically. ABC fired Roseanne Barr in May after a racist tweet about