Entertainment
Gal Gadot Reportedly Refuses To Do A 'Wonder Woman' Sequel If Brett Ratner Is Involved
In light of the many allegations and accusations being made about men in Hollywood recently, one actress is taking a stand in a unique and powerful way. Gal Gadot is reportedly refusing to do Wonder Woman 2 unless one executive producer is taken off the project. Specifically, as Page Six reported, Gadot is allegedly refusing to work with Brett Ratner, who has reportedly been accused of sexual misconduct and harassment by six women. Romper has reached out to representatives for Gadot, Ratner, and Warner Bros. and is awaiting a response.
As reported by The Los Angeles Times, Ratner has been accused of allegedly forcing one actress, Natasha Henstridge, to perform oral sex on him, and masturbating in front of another, Olivia Munn. Additionally, Ratner has been accused of other instances of alleged sexual misconduct, including telling another woman, "You should f*ck her to make her realize she’s gay," referring to actress Ellen Page, according to a Facebook post from Page.
On Saturday, Page Six reported that Gadot, who starred in the record-smashing Wonder Woman this summer, was refusing to work on the film's sequel if Ratner was involved like he was in the first film. Page Six also reported that Warner Bros. had allegedly effectively cut ties with Ratner following the accusations.
According to an anonymous source at Warner Bros. who spoke with Page Six, Gadot's refusal to work with Ratner is both strategic and well-meaning:
She's tough and stands by her principles. She also knows the best way to hit people like Brett Ratner is in the wallet. She also knows that Warner Bros. has to side with her on this issue as it develops. They can’t have a movie rooted in women’s empowerment being part-financed by a man accused of sexual misconduct against women.
While the first Wonder Woman was being made, Ratner was on board as co-founder of RatPac Entertainment, one of the film's production partners and financiers. But, after the allegations against Ratner came about, Gadot reportedly decided that it wouldn't be right to make a movie about female empowerment when Ratner could receive a portion of that movie's profit, again.
Speaking to The Los Angeles Times about the accusations against Ratner, the mogul's lawer, Martin Singer vehemently denied all allegations. In particular, actress Katharine Towne told The Los Angeles Times about an incident when Ratner allegedly followed her into a bathroom and wouldn't leave until he got her phone number. In response, Singer told the publication:
Even if hypothetically this incident occurred exactly as claimed, how is flirting at a party, complimenting a woman on her appearance, and calling her to ask her for a date wrongful conduct?
However, while Ratner has repeatedly denied any allegations against him, according to Variety, he confirmed that he will no longer be working with Warner Bros. in the future with the following statement:
In light of the allegations being made, I am choosing to personally step away from all Warner Bros.- related activities. I don’t want to have any possible negative impact to the studio until these personal issues are resolved.
And while Ratner has confirmed he's leaving Warner Bros. for the time being, it's still unclear whether Ratner will have anything to do with a Wonder Woman sequel, as Ratner is still at his own production company, RatPac Entertainment.
According to the Page Six report, a Warner Bros. representative has denied any reports that Gadot will not sign on to another Wonder Woman film if Ratner is involved, telling the publication the reports are "false."
Although Gadot herself has yet to comment on the validity of these reports, many are already praising Gadot for taking such a stance.