Fox Cuts Scene from THE PREDATOR Because of Registered Sex Offender
Well, this is a bit of unsettling news. Even before the #MeToo movement gained momentum, “rumors” that Hollywood is teeming with pedophiles and perverts were pervasive. We’ve just learned that 20th Century Fox has cut a scene from Shane Black’s The Predator because it featured a registered sex offender. What’s worse, it seems this actor got the gig because he’s a personal friend of Black.
The LA Times got the scoop:
Twentieth Century Fox was just days away from locking picture on The Predator when an urgent note came in: Delete the scene featuring Steven Wilder Striegel. Striegel, 47, didn’t have a big role in his longtime friend Shane Black’s reboot of the sci-fi thriller — just a three-page scene shared with actress Olivia Munn.
But last month, Munn learned that 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. When Munn shared the information with Fox on Aug. 15, studio executives quickly decided to excise him from the movie.
Execs at Fox claim to have had no prior knowledge of Striegel’s record and that “legal limitations” prevented them from conducting thorough background checks during the casting process. Striegel was charged with risk of injury to a child and enticing a minor by computer; he pled guilty to both felonies and served 6 months in jail.
While Fox may have been unaware of Striegel’s disturbing past, Black wasn’t. He is, however, being upfront about the situation, stating: “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.”
The Predator is set to have its world premiere this week at TIFF. You can check out the trailer and synopsis below.
Synopsis:
From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home. The universe’s most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and an evolutionary biologist can prevent the end of the human race.
What do you think about this controversy? Will it affect your decision to see The Predator when it hits theaters nationwide on September 14th? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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