Allegations of any kind can seriously hurt an actor’s career once they hit the public conscience. Armie Hammer is the latest celebrity to face such unconfirmed rumors. The actor was attached to the Jennifer Lopez-led and Ryan Reynolds-produced comedy Shotgun Wedding. But Hammer recently announced he will be leaving the project as he called rumors directed against him “bull.”
Before these rumors popped up, Armie Hammer was in pre-production for the action comedy. The actor has built a career around taking challenging roles despite his good looks. These unconfirmed allegations involving leaked private messages have now impacted his involvement in Shotgun Wedding. As this recent scandal has begun to snowball, the actor decided to leave the film before production even started. In a statement obtained by People Magazine, Hammer denied the accusations while focusing on his children. In his words:
I'm not responding to these bullshit claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for 4 months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic. Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I'm grateful to them for that.
Amid the ongoing allegations, Armie Hammer wants to focus on his family, as things have become increasingly serious in recent days. It is unknown who will replace him on Shotgun Wedding. All this happened as he is currently separated from his wife Elizabeth Chambers.
The trouble for Armie Hammer began when it was reported that an anonymous Instagram account called House of Effie released a series of direct messages supposedly from the actor. These messages allegedly from the actor (it still hasn't been confirmed if they originated from Hammer) involved requesting graphic and violent sexual activity, including hints of cannibalism. The Instagram user followed up their allegations by posting past clips and posts from the actor. The account has continued to release messages since the first posting on January 10.
Despite his exit from Shotgun Wedding, Armie Hammer still has some projects in the work. He will appear next in Crisis with Gary Oldman and Evangeline Lily, and Death on the Nile with Gal Gadot and Letitia Wright. The actor is also set to appear in the sequel to Call Me by Your Name with Timothée Chalamet and Next Goal Wins with Michael Fassbender and Elizabeth Moss. Hammer is also expected to jump to television with the Paramount+ series The Offer.
Time will tell if more information comes out and how these accusations will affect Armie Hammer’s career going forward. You can currently watch the actor in Rebecca with Lily James on Netflix, with Crisis arriving in theaters on February 26. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more movie-related news.
