Armie Hammer will “step away” from a romantic comedy he was set to star in opposite Jennifer Lopez in the wake of a brewing scandal surrounding his personal life.
Hammer was set to start filming “Shotgun Wedding” in the Dominican Republic at the end of February. But on Wednesday, a production spokesperson for the Lionsgate project said, “given the imminent start date,” the 34-year-old “has requested” to be recast.
“We support him in his decision,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The news comes days after Hammer became a trending topic on Twitter on Sunday, when various women on Instagram who said they had been in sexual relationships with Hammer posted disturbing allegations about his conduct. Hammer has yet to respond publicly to the allegations, and his reps did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In October, Lionsgate sent out a press release touting the Hammer and Lopez film, which is about a couple whose destination wedding takes a dramatic turn when the guests are taken hostage.
“Jennifer and Armie’s irresistible magnetism, separately and together, make them the perfect pairing for this action comedy,” Erin Westerman, president of production for Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, said at the time. “They are both incredibly funny actors that can also deliver on the action, but what sets this movie apart is the way their infectious chemistry commands the screen. You can’t take your eyes off them.”
Hammer, whose great-grandfather was the oil magnate Armand Hammer, rose to fame when he starred as both of the Winkelvoss twins in the 2010 film “The Social Network.” Since then, he has earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role in “Call Me by Your Name” and has worked with filmmakers like Guy Ritchie and Clint Eastwood.
