Director Shane Black’s sci-fi horror film, The Predator, is all set to hit theatres on Friday, September 14th. Well, right before the release, the film became a part of a huge controversy for casting registered sex offender Steven Wilder Striegel. Striegel, who is Black’s friend, was convicted back in 2010 for attempting to pursue a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old.
Actress Olivia Munn, who is herself a survivor of past sexual harassment, was the one who informed her costars and 20th Century Fox about Striegel’s past. She was upset that the director didn’t inform anyone about Striegel’s history. It was after, 20th Century Fox decided to cut Striegel’s scene from The Predator before the film’s debut at the Toronto International Film Festival that the entire story soon became public.
Since the controversy came into light, Black has claimed that Striegel misled him about the nature of the offense.
During a red carpet interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Black said he takes full responsibility for casting Striegel in his new film The Predator.
“I made an error of judgment that is irresponsible,” the director said. “I’m not just a kid who can say, you know, we’re making movies in college, put your buddy in the movie. This is an adult decision with real responsibilities. And I didn’t vet somebody. And it doesn’t matter that I was shocked at these emails, or that he misrepresented, my friends and I, oh my god. It doesn’t matter.”
He said that being a director it was his responsibility to make sure that those things don’t happen, but, unfortunately, he failed to keep up to his work.
“I was the captain of that ship – it’s my job to make sure that those things don’t happen, you see? And I failed, and I may have caused – I did cause pain to people in the cast. That’s unacceptable. I take full responsibility,” Black added.
The Predator director also went on apologize for whatever happened.
“I’m very, deeply sorry. I mean, I think about this a lot,” he said. “I hope I learn from this, because it really bothers me that this movie which could have been with these beautiful people and a beautiful night – all of this – has been overshadowed in some ways by a stupid decision that I made. I’m very sorry to anybody.”
The Predator follows a young boy (Jacob Tremblay) who unknowingly sets off an alert that brings the Predators back to Earth. The film’s story picks up after the first two installments. The star cast includes Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Augusto Aguilera, Alfie Allen, Thomas Jane, Jake Busey, and Yvonne Strahovski.
The Predator is estimated to rake in around $29 million in its first three days
Source: Associated Press
