Director Brett Ratner is one of the many Hollywood heavyweights who has been accused of sexual harassment in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, which includes actress Ellen Page recently saying that Ratner emotionally abused her about her sexuality when they were working on X-Men: The Last Stand (which her co-star Anna Paquin corroborates). Not long after Page posted the account of her time with the Rush Hour helmer, it was reported that Gal Gadot has asked Warner Bros to remove Ratner and his production company, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, from Wonder Woman 2. Days later, Warner Bros has officially responded to this claim, saying it's not true. As a spokesperson for the studio bluntly put it:
It's false.
Warner Bros didn't elaborate further on this Gal Gadot/Brett Ratner report, but according to Business Insider, even if Gadot is interested in removing Ratner from Wonder Woman 2, she wouldn't need to make such a demand to the studio. Apparently by the time Wonder Woman 2 enters into production, Warner Bros' deal with RatPac-Dune Entertainment will have expired. There are still several RatPac-involved movies on the way, like Ready Player One, Jungle Book and Aquaman, but given all the allegations that have been directed towards Ratner, Warner Bros isn't expected to renew its deal with his company, though perhaps it will change its mind if Ratner himself is ousted.
Brett Ratner publicly came under fire at the beginning of the month when six women came forward and accused him of sexually harassing them. Following that development, Playboy Enterprises announced that it was scrapping the Hugh Hefner biopic that Ratner had spent the better part of a decade trying to get off the ground. In addition to Ratner stepping away from his Warner Bros-related projects, his first-look deal with the studio has been terminated, he's lost the RatPack offices and he's been removed as a producer on The Goldfinch.
Released back in June and now available on home media, Wonder Woman has cemented itself as one of the biggest theatrical hits of 2017, earning critical acclaim and making over $820 million worldwide. No official details on Wonder Woman 2 have been revealed yet, but the sequel will reportedly take place in the 1980s, with Diana of Themyscira battling Soviet Union forces in the final years of the Cold War. Patty Jenkins will be back in the director's chair, and she is co-writing the script with Geoff Johns and Dave Callahan.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on Wonder Woman 2, which hits theaters in late 2019. For now, you can see Gal Gadot's Diana back on the big screen when Justice League is released this Friday, and you can also check out our DC movies guide to see what other projects this franchise is developing.
