How did ‘Death on the Nile’ with Armie Hammer and Gal Gadot become such a public nightmare?

If Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express felt a little queasy watching thanks to Johnny Depp, who follows the director, Death on the Nile, seems extremely malicious. The second installment of Branagh’s adaptation of Agatha Christie, which stars celebrities – a set of scandals that threaten to overshadow the mysteriously executed Hercule Poirot murder. manually (if somewhat predictable).

But in contrast to movies like Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwaldgot Depp disqualified despite Amber Heard’s allegations of domestic abuse, gathering scandals among Death on the NileThe cast seems to have been accumulated by unfortunate coincidence. Actors like Armie Hammer, Russell Brand, and Letitia Wright may have all been in hot water, but each of their respective PR problems seems to have occurred after the film’s release. (Speaking of which, whatever happened to that “postponed” press tour?)

Death on the Nile follows an increasingly fearful couple (Gal Gadot as heiress Linnet Ridgeway Doyle and Armie Hammer as her unmarried husband, Simon Doyle) as they try to enjoy their honeymoon. The pair are set to travel to Egypt before boarding the SS Karnak with a number of “friends”, all with their own dubious motives and interests. Emma Mackey plays Jacqueline de Bellefort, Linnet’s ex-girlfriend, who fell madly in love with Simon before Linnet swept him away for herself. Horrified by Jackie’s relentless stalking, Linnet begs our favorite French detective to board the ship with her group of suspicious friends and relatives—none of whom truly believes.

Shoot for Death on the Nile took place at the end of 2019, before most of the main cast of the film had come up with not-so-good titles. The film was originally scheduled to release in December 2020, but was later delayed to February 11 this year. Meanwhile, the film’s cast has faced a lot of bad press that is almost inevitable.

Hammer’s presence may be the toughest obstacle the movie has to face. Last January, he was forced to reply about being unverified Abuse claims from many women, who accused the actor of discussing slave fantasies, cannibalism, bloodsucking, and mutilation. Authorized Attorney Gloria Allred started representing one of Hammer’s accusers, Effie, last year. Effie claims to have been in a relationship with Hammer for 4 years and said in one terrifying encounter, “I thought he was going to kill me… I was completely shocked and I couldn’t believe that person. I love doing the same to me.”

Both Hammer and his attorney, Andrew Brettler, denied the rape and abuse charges against him, which the actor called “bullshit statements”.

In a statement last year, Brettler said, “From day one, Mr. Hammer has maintained that all his interactions with [Effie]—And all of his other sexual partners for that matter — were given full consent, discussed, and consented in advance and participated. ”

However, as Allred said in a press conference, “It is important to emphasize that even if a sexual partner consents to certain sexual activities, she still has the right to withdraw her consent. even if a partner consents to some behavioral sex acts, that does not mean consent to any and all sexual acts with she. Nor should it be construed as consent to sexual abuse or criminal violence against her. “

Hammer is reported to have completed a months in rehab in December. He has been featured in a number of works since the cannibalism allegations were dropped, including Unexpected wedding, Endowand Next goal. Disney, the first studio to delay the release date for Death on the Nile in November 2020 due to the pandemic, reported for review reprise the role of Hammer or digitally edit him. Ultimately, however, CHEAP reported that the studio decided such a maneuver would not be feasible due to the size of the cast and the ongoing pandemic. A trailer released last winter appeared to be an attempt to tone down Hammer’s appearance, but he remains an important and frequent character in the film itself.

But Hammer is not the only one Death on the Nile stars landed in hot water since the movie was announced. The other half of the film’s central couple, Gadot, has faced scrutiny for years thanks to her outspoken stances regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – an issue that emerged last spring when the actress and former IDF soldier (required to participate in her native Israel) caused political conflict when Israel attacked the Gaza Strip with air strikes. Gadot wrote at the time: “Israel deserves to live as a free and safe nation. “Our neighbors deserve it, too.” The following actress disable comments on posts as vitriol online grows.

Meanwhile, other members like Russell Brand and Letitia Wright have both been criticized for promoting anti-vaxx views amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Brand, whose YouTube channel describes him as something of a “questioning-only” provocateur, has spent months using his platform to spread vaccine skepticism. He also opposes vaccine mandates, saying in a video, “The idea of ​​forcing something, that’s authoritarianism. That’s what that is. It is telling people that they have to do many things. ” (If only he and Evangeline Lilly, who recently posted about her decision to join an anti-vaxx protest, can save these errors for group chat.)

Wright has refuse to share anti-vaxx views on the set Black Panther 2, as described in a dispatch from The Hollywood Reporter, called the reports “completely untrue.” When production on the Marvel sequel resumed in January, Wright was among the returning cast. But even before that report came out, she got herself into trouble by share a video titled “Should we take the COVID-19 vaccine?” The video released by Tomi Arayomi, leader of London Light Church, is rife with misinformation about COVID-19, pandemic and vaccines.

At first, Wright didn’t seem to care about the backlash she was facing on social media. “[I]If you don’t follow the prevailing opinion but question and think for yourself… you will be disqualified,” she wrote. She then added: “[M]y ONLY intended to post the video as it raised my concerns about what vaccines contain and what we are putting into our bodies. Nothing else. ”

It’s unclear whether the mess surrounding a sane part of Death on the NileIts cast will affect the box office (Depp’s presence doesn’t seem to stop Murder on the Orient Express are from became Fox’s top player in 2017). It would be a bit of a pity for the movie, beautifully shot by Branagh as he continues to enjoy his role as the man who knows Belgium best. Sophie Okonedo steals the show as Salome Otterbourne, a jazz blues singer with a lavish turban collection and impeccable ’30s beauty. And Mackey, best known for playing Maeve on Netflix’s Sex educationdelivers an amusing performance as the woman of this film is scorned.

Then again, Depp is one star in a crowded train of A-listers, not a close-knit group of stars that comprise a healthy part of the movie. A pile of bad headlines might not sink the ship — but a lot of oars could lie ahead.