Matthew McConaughey's Latest Movie Got Canceled Under Unusual Circumstances
Movies get canceled before their release all the time. The recent cancelation of the much anticipated "Batgirl" film, for example, has left fans angry and disappointed. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a Warner Bros. spokesperson said the movie was canceled because of a "strategic shift" to focus on theatrical releases rather than projects going directly to streaming services. An anonymous actor in a minor role in the movie told IndieWire, "I am very offended by what happened and feel terrible for the directors and Leslie Grace, who were all wonderful to work with, as well as all of the technicians." The anonymous source went on to criticize Warner Brothers Discovery CEO David Zaslav as "an imbecile," saying, "His cowardice is breathtaking."
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the "Batgirl" cancelation was unusual because the movie was nearly completed at the time of its cancelation. However, a planned Matthew McConaughey movie was recently scrapped before production began, and the situation looks unusual. According to Deadline, the movie — entitled "Dallas Sting" — was to be based on the true story of a team of young female soccer players from Texas. In 1984, they traveled to China — after President Reagan opened diplomatic relations with the country — to compete in an international soccer tournament that the Dallas team ultimately won. McConaughey was set to star as the coach, Bill Kinder, with the script penned by "GLOW" creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch. Kari Skogland was slated to direct.
The story seems like it would make a perfect sports movie, so the fact that it was canceled at the last minute leaves many people scratching their heads.
There were allegations regarding the true story
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Matthew McConaughey vehicle was pulled because of "disturbing allegations" about the true story in question. According to Vanity Fair, Skydance, the production company making the film, conducted an investigation and found the allegations to be credible enough to halt production before it started. So far, nobody involved in the movie has elaborated on what these allegations might entail, leaving a lot of people guessing.
"Unless there was murder, too much time has passed, so this makes zero sense unless the movie was going to out someone big as a predator," Twitter user @krisikaye5 wrote in response to a tweet of The Hollywood Reporter's story on the canceled movie. "The article leaves too much room for speculation & it will now take on a life of its own." Twitter user @daphneblake then replied, "Yeah considering it's a female team and they aren't giving info, this just making me feel it's a predator who's still in a powerful position. I mean, it's not unlikely."
Of course, nothing Skydance has announced so far says explicitly that anything inappropriately sexual happened in the real story. But without a statement on exactly what the actual allegations are, many people are speculating that the decision came down to predatory behavior. Until Skydance chooses to explain the reason for the cancelation (if they even do), speculation is all we have, and speculation can sometimes get dangerous.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).