‘Iron Man 3’ Director Under Fire Over ‘The Predator’ Controversy

Iron Man 3 writer-director Shane Black came under fire on social media Thursday after it was learned Black cast actor friend and convicted sex offender Steven Wilder Striegel in his latest project The Predator.

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Fox excised a scene late in the process that saw Striegel’s jogger character repeatedly hitting on the disinterested Casey Bracket, played by X-Men: Apocalypse star Olivia Munn. The actress alerted studio 20th Century Fox of Striegel’s history, of which the studio said they were “not aware.”

“Our studio was not aware of Mr. Striegel’s background when he was hired,” a Fox spokesperson said in a statement. “We were not aware of his background during the casting process due to legal limitations that impede studios from running background checks on actors.”

As reported by the Times, “Striegel is a registered sex offender who pleaded guilty in 2010 after facing allegations that he attempted to lure a 14-year-old female into a sexual relationship via the internet.”

Black, who also cast Striegel in bit roles in Marvel Studios’ third Iron Man outing and the Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe-led crime comedy The Nice Guys, told the Times in a statement, “I personally chose to help a friend. I can understand others might disapprove, as his conviction was on a sensitive charge and not to be taken lightly.”

Friends since 2004, Black added he believed Striegel was “caught up in a bad situation versus something lecherous.” Striegel plead guilty to two felonies — risk of injury to a child and enticing a minor by computer — crimes that saw him spend six months in jail.

In emails to the Times, Striegel characterized the relationship as a mentorship with no sexual or physical contact, but a 2009 arrest warrant affidavit alleged Striegel, now 48, kissed the girl, touched her breasts over her clothing, rubbed her legs and stroked her neck.

Emails exchanged between the pair revealed Striegel told the underaged girl he wanted to have sex with her, writing, “There’s no question that it’s you. None. Hope that doesn’t totally freak you out, and just because it’s what I want, and what you want, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing.”

The Times added Striegel described his sexual preferences in “graphic detail,” urged the teen to keep the relationship quiet, and wrote in an email to the girl, “EVERY thing you say turns me on!! I love that it rocked you when I pulled your hair that time.”

Striegel told the Times if he knew his involvement with the latest entry in the long-running Predator franchise would come as “a point of difficulty for Shane Black, or cast any kind of shadow over a movie that I wish only great success for, I would, of course, never have been involved in any capacity.”

Difficulty indeed came for Black, who was subsequently called out on Twitter across thousands of tweets. The filmmaker has since apologized in a statement issued through Variety:

“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,” Black said.

“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.”

“Kudos to [Olivia Munn] for blowing the whistle on director Shane Black’s hiring and inclusion of convicted pedophile Steven Striegel from The Predator,” Sil Lai Abrams wrote on Twitter.

Because Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys both featured child actors, wrote @Matchity, “If it was my kid, I don’t know if I’d lead with legal action or fists against Shane Black.”

“You knew your friend was a sex offender, and yet you still cast him in your movie, and have him share a scene with Olivia Munn, one of the many women who called out [Hollywood director and producer] Brett Ratner for sexual harassment and misconduct,” wrote user @john_tyler646. “F—k you.”

“…mild or zero consequences”

“…a good fit”

“F—k you”

“…legal action or fists”

“…actively enable”

“…shame on Black”

“…incredibly disappointing”

“…a way back into society after being punished”

“Never will watch another Shane Black movie”