By now, you’ve likely heard the news that Shane Black knowingly cast a registered sex offender for The Predator. And that the movie itself is a fun and silly misfire.
The first is far more important (and shocking), as it’s since been confirmed that Black had previously welcomed Steven Wilder Striegel on board for both Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys. For The Predator, though, Olivia Munn alerted 20th Century Fox to Striegel’s criminal past, and it wasn’t long before the studio promptly removed Steven Wilder Striegel and his three-page scene from the final theatrical cut.
To make matters worse, the scene in question actually featured Striegel’s character (an unnamed jogger) making repeated sexual advances towards Munn’s Casey Bracket. Thankfully, it’s no longer in The Predator‘s finished cut, and writer-director Shane Black has now released a second statement apologizing for his glaring oversight.
Having read this morning’s news reports, it has sadly become clear to me that I was misled by a friend I really wanted to believe was telling me the truth when he described the circumstances of his conviction. I believe strongly in giving people second chances – but sometimes you discover that chance is not as warranted as you may have hoped.
After learning more about the affidavit, transcripts and additional details surrounding Steve Striegel’s sentence, I am deeply disappointed in myself. I apologize to all of those, past and present, I’ve let down by having Steve around them without giving them a voice in the decision.
But it seems Olivia Munn is not convinced, after the former X-Men actress took to Twitter to offer her own take on the whole situation and, more specifically, Shane Black’s response. Frankly, she’s not buying with it, and we can’t imagine she’ll be in a hurry to work with Black again once The Predator has come and gone.
Via Twitter:
https://twitter.com/oliviamunn/status/1037806433520246784
The Predator is all set to rip and tear its way into theaters next Friday, September 14th, though whether the film can rise above this controversy is another question entirely.