Time’s Up condemned Brett Ratner, the director behind the film series “Rush Hour” and “X-Men: The Last Stand”, who was accused of sexual misconduct in 2017, for his planned return to the cinema.
He is set to direct a long-standing passion project, a biopic about the R&B duo Milli Vanilli, as reported by Deadline Friday. In November 2017, seven women, including Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, accused the filmmaker of sexual harassment and misconduct, prompting Warner Bros to sever relations with Ratner.
In a statement, Time’s Up said the director-producer should not have a return to the industry. Ratner’s project will mark his first job as a feature film director since “Hercules” in 2014, and will be produced by Ratner’s Millennium Media and RatPac Entertainment.
“TIME’S UP was born out of the national assessment of sexual harassment in the workplace,” said Tina Tchen, president and CEO of the Time’s Up Foundation, in response to news that Ratner is ready to direct the next film. “Our movement is the product of countless acts of courage by many survivors, including those who spoke about what they endured at the hands of Brett Ratner.”
She continued to add that Ratner did not offer to repair the damage it did, instead choosing to file lawsuits against women who came forward to share their experiences of abuse.
“Ratner not only never acknowledged or apologized for the damage he caused, but he also filed lawsuits in an attempt to silence the voices of the survivors who came forward – a tactic taken from the predator’s manual. You can’t go away for a few years and then resurface and act like nothing has happened. We have not forgotten – and we will not – forget. Millennium Media shouldn’t be either. There should be no return. #wewontforgetbrett. “
Representatives from Ratner, RatPac Entertainment and Millennium Media did not immediately respond to Varietyrequest for comment from.