On the eve of release, The Predator director Shane Black has issued another apology by way of Associated Press, saying he accepts “full responsibility” for what he considers a “stupid decision.”
That decision, incase you’re not fully up to speed, involved Black adding his friend Steven Wilder Striegel to The Predator in a minor role, despite him being a registered sex offender. Eight years ago, Striegel pleaded guilty to attempting to “lure a 14-year-old female into a sexual relationship via the Internet.”
Shane Black was already aware of this, given Steven Wilder Striegel starred in both The Nice Guys and Iron Man 3, and his decision to withhold such crucial information from The Predator cast drew the ire of Olivia Munn. Now, he’s apologized (again), but we fear the damage has already been done.
I made an error in judgment that is irresponsible, you know?. I am not just a kid who can say, ‘Hey, we’re making movies in college put your buddy in the movie.’ This is an adult decision with real responsibilities, and I didn’t vet somebody. I was the captain of that ship, it’s my job to make sure those things happen, and I failed.
When the news broke that 20th Century Fox had removed Striegel’s scene from The Predator, Black’s knee-jerk statement revealed that he had “personally chose to help a friend,” though, in hindsight, he realizes that he made a grave mistake.
It’s unclear if Olivia Munn will choose to respond to this latest statement from her former director, but the fact that she refused his previous apology tells us that Munn won’t be in a hurry to reunite with Black for any creative project – Predator or not.
Whether this has much of an effect on The Predator‘s box office returns will be revealed this coming weekend, when Shane Black’s franchise reinvention (our review) is expected to make its debut.
