Johnny Depp has become one of the most troubled figured in Hollywood recently, thanks to allegations he physically abused ex-wife Amber Heard and his very-public financial woes and drug use. He got a bit of good news when he was able to settle a $25 million fraud case against his former business managers, but now he’s back aboard the bad news train. Just one month before it was due to open in theaters, the Depp-starring City of Lies has been pulled from the schedule.
Global Road Entertainment chose to yank the film from its September 7th release date due largely to Depp’s public image issues making for a tough publicity campaign, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, which was directed by Brad Furman and also stars Forest Whitaker, does not have a new release date at this time.
City of Lies tells the story of an investigation into the unsolved murders Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Depp plays LAPD Detective Russell Poole, who retired in disgrace after being unable to solve the infamous murders of the two iconic rappers. Whitaker takes on the role of Jack Jackson, a journalist who teams with Poole to thaw out the cold case and expose corruption in the LAPD.
This isn’t the first bit of trouble City of Lies has faced because of Depp. Last month, location manager Greg “Rocky” Brooks filed suit against Depp for allegedly hurling obscenities at and punching him. Brooks had told Depp that they had to stop filming for the night due to permits, which allegedly enraged the actor and led to him striking Brooks twice in the ribs. When Brooks didn’t react physically to the assault, he says Depp offered to pay him $100,000 to punch him in the face.
Upon returning to work the next day, Brooks says he was asked to sign a declaration giving up his rights to sue for the incident. He refused and was allegedly fired on the spot.
Warner Bros. is also facing heat for keeping Depp in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, in which he plays the title wizard. The studio currently shows no signs of stopping the film’s release or replacing Depp.
Here’s the trailer for City of Lies, which as of now is all we’re going to see of the movie.
