Since the news broke on Oct. 5, the downfall of incredibly powerful film producer Harvey Weinstein has been swift and widespread. After multiple women have come forward with allegations of sexual assault, harassment and rape, various actors and affiliated film and television companies have released statements that they are either pulling projects that were in production with The Weinstein Company or outright canceling them.
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In canceling or postponing their projects affiliated with The Weinstein Company and by extension Weinstein, the following actors and companies have bravely and boldly marked which side of history they will stand on. There’s no reason to believe these various projects, especially those which are canceled for now, will never be made. But canceling or postponing them after all of the work that has gone into them certainly sends a clear message to the world that they’d rather have the project suffer or not exist at all than continue associating with TWC.
Channing Tatum
On Wednesday, Oct. 18, Tatum released a statement on Instagram and Facebook that his planned film adaptation of the YA novel Forgive Me Leonard Peacock, which tells the story of a young man whose life is forever changed by sexual abuse, would not go ahead with The Weinstein Company.
After acknowledging that what Weinstein allegedly did to the women who have come forward to share their stories was reprehensible, Tatum wrote, “Our lone project in development with TWC — Matthew Quick’s brilliant book, Forgive Me Leonard Peacock — is a story about a boy whose life was torn asunder by sexual abuse. While we will no longer develop it or anything else that is property of TWC, we are reminded of its powerful message of healing in the wake of tragedy. This is a giant opportunity for real positive change that we proudly commit ourselves to.”
More: Matt Damon Denies Having Any Knowledge of Harvey Weinstein’s Misconduct
Lin-Manuel Miranda
https://twitter.com/quiarahudes/status/918583132965744640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Miranda was another actor to come forward and not only condemn Weinstein outright, but also announce that he and his In the Heights co-creator, Quiara Alegría Hudes, did not want continue to develop the Tony-winning musical for its film adaptation to be produced by The Weinstein Company. According to Deadline, Miranda was working on a screenplay for the film. Now, he is calling on The Weinstein Company to release the rights to the work, ostensibly so he and Hudes might seek out another production company to bring the project to life.
Hudes released a statement via Twitter, which Miranda stated echoed his own sentiments about the issue. After extending her condolences and feelings of empathy with Weinstein’s alleged victims, Hudes wrote, “Unfortunately, my musical In the Heights is tied up in the company. In the Heights is part of my heart and soul. I created it about respect, community, and solidarity. I hope the Weinstein Company has enough grace, in the wake of these revelations, to respect my stand as a woman, and allow us to extricate In the Heights from them.”
The Current War
On Oct. 14, news emerged that the planned Thanksgiving holiday drama biopic, The Current War, would be pushed back to a 2018 release date amid the Weinstein scandal. The film, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon, would have been in the window of qualification for the 2018 Oscars; that will no longer be the case despite hopes being high it would be in contention.
In the wake of the news about Weinstein, Cumberbatch himself made a sharp statement against Weinstein. “I am utterly disgusted by the continuing revelations of Harvey Weinstein’s horrifying and unforgivable actions…We need to collectively stand up and support victims of abuse such as the brave and inspiring women who have spoken out against him and say we hear you and believe you.”
More: McKayla Maroney & Other Female Celebrities Share Gut-Wrenching #MeToo Stories
Amazon Studios
On Oct. 10, it was reported that Amazon Studios would be reviewing their current dealings with The Weinstein Company. According to Deadline, Amazon Studios and The Weinstein Company have two planned projects in the works: The Romanoffs from Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner and an untitled drama from Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell starring Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore.
A planned Elvis Presley biopic
On Oct. 9, Variety reported Apple was dropping their planned Elvis Presley biopic, intended to be produced by The Weinstein Company. The project was reportedly still in the very early stages of preproduction.
Other TV shows
On Oct. 12, we learned that The Weinstein Company’s title card would be pulled from a variety of shows currently on the air or set to premiere in the near future. These shows include: Project Runway, Six and Peaky Blinders. There’s no word yet whether upcoming shows Waco, Scream or the six-part documentary Rest In Power: The Trayvon MartinStory will follow suit.
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