Brett Ratner is one of the high-profile names that has faced numerous allegations of sexual misconduct in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Accusations against Ratner have been shared throughout the years, but several women went on the record in a recent LA Times report that led to Warner Bros. distancing themselves from the director. The director received more attention this weekend after a powerful post by Ellen Page that claimed Ratner outed her and thrived on sexist behavior on the set of X-Men: The Last Stand — claims that have been supported by fellow cast mate Anna Paquin — and a report that New Line Cinema received complaints about Ratner in 2005.
But now a new report from Page Six indicates that allegations against Ratner are about the affect the Wonder Woman films, with Gal Gadot reportedly threatening to leave the role unless Ratner and his production company, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, are removed from the financing of the film:
“Brett made a lot of money from the success of ‘Wonder Woman,’ thanks to his company having helped finance the first movie. Now Gadot is saying she won’t sign for the sequel unless Warner Bros. buys Brett out [of his financing deal] and gets rid of him.”
The source added of Israeli-born Gadot, “She’s tough and stands by her principles. She also knows the best way to hit people like Brett Ratner is in the wallet. She also knows that Warner Bros. has to side with her on this issue as it develops. They can’t have a movie rooted in women’s empowerment being part-financed by a man accused of sexual misconduct against women.”
Page Six notes that a representative for Warner Bros. claimed the rumors were false and they have received no official word from Gadot or Ratner on the topic. But at the same time, they also point out that Gadot did pull out of a dinner honoring Ratner in October where she would have presented the director with an award, days before the LA Times article on the allegations against Ratner was published. The actress also posted this on Instagram in solidarity with those speaking out about sexual assault:
Whether this report will turn out to be true remains to be seen. Considering what we’ve seen with Weinstein, Louis C.K., and Kevin Spacey in recent weeks, though, it would seem that studios and other entertainment entities are not hesitating to cut ties with the accused offenders.
(Via Page Six)