Armie Hammer exits Shotgun Wedding following social-media scandal

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

It was announced last October that Armie Hammer and Jennifer Lopez would be starring in Shotgun Wedding, an action/comedy that followed a couple who "gather their lovable but very opinionated families for the ultimate destination wedding just as the couple begins to get cold feet. And if that wasn’t enough of a threat to the celebration, suddenly everyone’s lives are in danger when the entire party is taken hostage." Production on the project was slated to kick off early this year on the project, but the film will be searching for a new leading man as it seems that Hammer has exited the project.

Armie Hammer is currently in the midst of a social media scandal after direct messages were leaked that found the actor describing fantasies which included sexual slavery and cannibalism. A production spokesperson said, "Given the imminent start date of Shotgun Wedding, Armie has requested to step away from the film and we support him in his decision." Hammer's role will be recast, but it's not known who will be stepping into the role. Ryan Reynolds was slated to star in the project at one point but remains onboard as an executive producer. In his own statement, Hammer said, "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."

Armie Hammer was most recently seen in Ben Wheatley's adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, which was released on Netflix last year. The film starred Lily James as a young newlywed who arrives at her husband's (Hammer) imposing family estate on a windswept English coast and finds herself battling the shadow of his first wife Rebecca, whose legacy lives on in the house long after her death. Hammer will also be seen in Death on the Nile, which is slated to hit theaters on September 17, 2021.