Yesterday, allegations of sexual misconduct were made by six women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, against director Brett Ratner in the pages of the LA Times. While Ratner has strongly denied their claims, it's had an immediate impact on a film he had been developing for quite some time. Playboy has put the brakes on their Hugh Hefner biopic that Ratner planned to direct with Jared Leto in the starring role.
Regarding that, Leto has issued a statement and it should come as no surprise he's putting some distance between himself and Ratner. Let's representative told THR the actor "is not and was not attached to a Brett Ratner-directed Hugh Hefner film, nor will he be working with him in the future."
This is in direct contradiction to statements made by Ratner just a month ago when he said, "Jared is an old friend. When he heard I got the rights to Hef's story, he told me, 'I want to play him. I want to understand him.' And I really believe Jared can do it. He's one of the great actors of today."
Somebody's lying here, but a squabble between Ratner and Leto isn't really what matters, is it?
Warner Bros., who Ratner has a first-look deal with through his RatPac Entertainment label, are also "reviewing the situation". Ratner's Hefner film, which he's been working on since before the sexual icon and entrepreneur died earlier this year, may be just the first of his projects put on ice.
