Gal Gadot Will Not Return As Wonder Woman Unless Warner Brothers Cuts Ties With Brett Ratner
Wonder Woman is one of the year's biggest blockbuster hits, earning plaudits from critics and moviegoers alike.
The film also became the highest-grossing live-action film directed by a woman, and a lot of the credit goes to Gal Gadot for her portrayal of the Amazonian warrior princess.
In July, Warner Bros. announced a Wonder Woman sequel, slated to arrive in 2019, with director Patty Jenkins and Gadot returning. However, the actress has now said that she will not go ahead with the sequel until the studio ends ties with producer and director Brett Ratner in the wake of the sexual harassment and misconduct allegations against him.
Ratner is the co-owner of RatPac-Dune Entertainment and had a co-financing deal with Warner Bros., which the studio decided against renewing in light of the allegations.
"She's tough and stands by her principles," a source told Page Six. "She also knows the best way to hit people like Brett Ratner is in the wallet. The insider added that Warner Bros. has no option but to side with Gadot in this situation, as they cannot go ahead with a movie rooted in women's empowerment by dealing with a man accused of sexual misconduct against women."
Multiple actresses, including the likes of Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, recently came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Rather in a story published by the Los Angeles Times last month.
"He walked out ... with his belly sticking out, no pants on, shrimp cocktail in one hand and he was furiously masturbating in the other," Munn recalled. "And before I literally could even figure out where to escape or where to look, he ejaculated."
Henstridge, best known for her role as the genetically engineered human-alien hybrid Sil in the sci-fi franchise, Species, claimed that the Rush Hour director forcibly performed oral sex on her in 1999.
In the wake of the accusations, Ratner has already issued a statement saying that he would be distancing himself from all Warner Bros-related deals until the personal issues are resolved.
"In light of the allegations being made, I am choosing to personally step away from all Warner Bros.- related activities," he said in the statement. "I don't want to have any possible negative impact to the studio until these personal issues are resolved."
Last month, Gadot dropped out of an awards show honoring the producer/director. The Israeli actress was supposed to present the Tree of Life Award to Ratner but backed out of the event days after the LA Times' exposé on him. Gadot will be seen playing the DC character in the upcoming team-up film, "Justice League," which arrives in theaters on Nov. 17.
