Following the release of controversial direct messages that are alleged to be from Armie Hammer, the actor has officially exited the upcoming action-comedy Shotgun Wedding, in which he was set to star alongside Jennifer Lopez. While a spokesperson from the studio claims that the reason for his departure is due to the timing of the production, Hammer himself claims that he cannot “in good conscious” leave his children to shoot a movie as the family deals with the “bullsh-t claims” regarding alleged messages he sent, which are both violent and sexual in nature. The project is expected to continue to move forward, though studio Lionsgate will reportedly recast the role Hammer was initially attached to play.
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“Given the imminent start date of Shotgun Wedding, Armie has requested to step away from the film and we support him in his decision,” the production spokesperson shared in a statement, per Deadline.
Hammer’s statement to The Hollywood Reporter, however, was a bit more direct.
“I’m not responding to these bullsh-t claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for four months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic,” Hammer shared. “Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I’m grateful to them for that.”
Deadline described the film, “Shotgun Wedding follows Darcy (Lopez) and Tom (who Hammer was set to play), who gather their lovable but very opinionated families for the ultimate destination wedding just as the couple begins to get cold feet. And if that wasn’t enough of a threat to the celebration, suddenly everyone’s lives are in danger when the entire party is taken hostage.”
The new film will be produced by Ryan Reynolds, who was also originally slated to play the role which Hammer took.
This is far from the first controversy Hammer has sparked on social media, whether those be from his Instagram account, which has 1.6 million followers, or his Twitter account, which has nearly 400,000 followers.
When Stan Lee passed away in November of 2018, countless fans took to social media to detail the impact the creator had on them, as well as sharing photos of themselves with the Marvel icon. Hammer instead saw this behavior as a way to draw attention to themselves as opposed to being a tribute to Lee.
“So touched by all of the celebrities posting pictures of themselves with Stan Lee,” Hammer shared at the time. “No better way to commemorate an absolute legend than putting up a picture of yourself.”
Days later, Hammer would go on to issue an apology.
“While attempting to provide some unnecessary social commentary about the current selfie culture, I inadvertently offended many who were genuinely grieving the loss of a true icon,” the actor posted. “I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart and will be working on my Twitter impulse control.”
Across various channels, the actor has intermittently deleted posts and deactivated accounts.
Stay tuned for details on the future of Shotgun Wedding.
