Milli Vanilli biopic dropped by film company amid sexual misconduct allegations against director Brett Ratner… but project is moving forward
Avi Lerner’s Millennium Media has decided to cut ties from Brett Ratner’s Milli Vanilli film more than three years after sexual misconduct allegations were made against the director and producer.
The company announced that it will no longer be involved in the selling or production of the long-proposed biopic about the late ’80s and ’90s R&B duo and the lip-synching scandal that led to the demise of the group.
However, the project has other bidders and investors who are fully financing production, Ratner’s RatPac Entertainment revealed, as reported by Variety.
Major move: Avi Lerner’s Millennium Media has cut ties from Brett Ratner’s Milli Vanilli biopic more than three years after sexual misconduct allegations were made against the director
The production companies, Millennium and RatPac, released a joint statement on Wednesday, February 24, in regards to the project moving forward.
‘On the heels of the announcement of the long gestating Milli Vanilli movie, the project fielded multiple competitive bids and a group of private equity investors have emerged that are fully financing the movie to begin production shortly,’ the statement reads.
‘Millennium will not be selling the film at EFM or be involved in the production.’
The controversy: The Milli Vanilli biopic would be Ratner’s comeback project following the sexual assault and harassment accusations made by seven women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, in November 2017
The biopic would be Ratner’s comeback project following the sexual assault and harassment accusations made by seven women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, in November 2017.
On the same day the women came forward, Warner Bros. announced it had severed all ties with Ratner. Afterwards, the director announced that he was ‘[stepping] away from all Warner Bros.-related activities’ and Warner Bros.
In a statement on February 20, Time’s Up said that Ratner should not be granted a comeback in the industry.
‘TIME’S UP was born out of the national reckoning on workplace sexual harassment,’ said Tina Tchen, president and CEO of the Time’s Up Foundation in response to the news.
‘Our movement is a product of countless courageous acts by many survivors, including those who spoke out about what they endured at the hands of Brett Ratner.’
Promo mode: Ratner took to Instagram to promote the Milli Vanilli project last weekend
Tchen went on to criticize Ratner for his response to the serious allegations that were made against him.
‘Not only did Ratner never acknowledge or apologize for the harm he caused, but he also filed lawsuits in an attempt to silence the voices of survivors who came forward – a tactic right out of the predator’s playbook.’
Tchen continued, ‘You don’t get to go away for a couple years and then resurface and act like nothing happened. We have not – and will not – forget. And Millennium Media shouldn’t either. There should be no comeback. #wewontforgetbrett.’
In the wake of the news that Millenium had pulled out of the film, Time’s Up took to Twitter and gave a thumbs-up emoji.
Lip-synching backlash:Milli Vanilli duo, Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, would eventually have their Grammy for Best New Artist revoked after it was revealed they were models and didn’t actually sing on any of their records
Ratner, 51, is best known for directing the three Rush Hour films (1998-2007), Red Dragon (2002) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
Last weekend, Ratner took to Instagram to promote the Milli Vanilli project
‘In 1989 Two Friends Became The Biggest Stars In the World. 30 Million Singles. 11 Million Albums. Number One Songs In 28 Countries. 4 Number One Hits In The United States. The Biggest Debut Album Since Elvis Presley. A Grammy…….Without Ever Singing A Note,’ he wrote in the caption.
The duo of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus would eventually have their Grammy for Best New Artist revoked after it was revealed they were models and didn’t actually sing on any of their records.