Gal Gadot refusing to participate in “Wonder Woman 2” unless accused rapist Brett Ratner is out
Gal Gadot, who went from moderate fame co-starring in three of the “Fast and Furious” franchise movies and then went on to super-stardom starring as “Wonder Woman,” won’t be signing on for any Wonder Woman sequels unless Brett Ratner is removed from the production, according to Page Six. In October, Ratner, who has directed blockbusters like “Rush Hour,” “Red Dragon,” and “X-Men: The Last Stand,” was accused of raping Melanie Kohler, a former employee of the Endeavor Talent Agency, according to Variety. That rape allegation came on the heels of numerous sexual misconduct and sexual harassment complaints from other women in Hollywood.
Gadot was supposed to present an award to Ratner last month but backed out after his rape and other sexual misconduct accusations came to light. RatPac-Dune Entertainment is Ratner’s production company which participated in the production of Gadot’s “Wonder Woman” movie which grossed more than $400 million. But Gadot, a staunch advocate fighting against sexual harassment in Hollywood said she won’t be signing on for “Wonder Woman 2” unless Warner Brothers ditches Ratner entirety.
“Bullying and sexual harassment is unacceptable! I stand by all the courageous women confronting their fears and speaking out. Together we stand. We are all united in this time of change.” ~ Gal Gadot, Instagram
And just this week, Warner Brothers released a statement saying they were ending all associations with Ratner based on the “multiple sexual-harassment allegations leveled against him by actresses including Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge,” according to Fox News. A total of six women have come forward and accused the filmmaker of either sexual misconduct or sexual harassment, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Prior to the start of filming for “X-Men: The Last Stand” which Ratner directed, X-Men actress Ellen Page said she felt violated after Ratner outed her as being gay – before she was ready to come out on her own. Accusing him of sexual harassment, Page posted a lengthy Facebook message to say that when she was only 18-years-old at a meet and greet with the X-Men cast and crew, “He looked at a woman standing next to me, ten years my senior, pointed to me and said: ‘You should f–k her to make her realize she’s gay.’”
Page, now 30-years-old, added: “He ‘outed’ me with no regard for my well-being, an act we all recognize as homophobic. We are all entitled to come into an awareness of our sexual orientation privately and on our own terms. I was young and although already a working actor for so long I had in many ways been insulated, growing up on film sets instead of surrounded by my peers.”
Patty Jenkins who directed Gadot in “Wonder Woman” was confirmed by IGN as returning to the director’s seat to direct Gadot in “Wonder Woman 2” which is tentatively scheduled for a January 2019 theatrical release.
Written by: Ace News Today Staff
