Apparently, there is an offer you can refuse. Armie Hammer is exiting, “The Offer,” Paramount+‘s making-of “The Godfather,” limited series, following the ongoing and continued drama of his recent spate of social media controversies. That drama is hard to unpack quickly, but suffice to say, he’s been accused of being a cannibal… sort of? Social media users recently alleged he sent them explicitly, twisted sexual messages about rape and cannibalism. An ex-girlfriend, Courtney Vucekovich, then came forward with similar claims about Hammer. Hammer has denied all of the allegations, but has since started jettisoning all his film projects one by one.
READ MORE: Armie Hammer To Star In Making-Of ‘The Godfather’ Series For Paramount+
Hammer was set to play producer Albert S. Ruddy in the 10-episode series about the making of Francis Ford Coppola‘s legendary film, “The Godfather,” released by Paramount. Ruddy won his first of two Oscars for Best Picture (the other being “Million Dollar Baby” years later in 2004). The series is now in need of a new lead.
“The Godfather” was also produced by Gray Frederickson and legendary ’70s super-film- producer Robert Evans, the star of “The Kids Stays In The Picture,” and someone that irked Coppola so bad, one of the primary conditions of making the sequel was to ensure Evans wouldn’t be involved. Presumably, these two characters will factor into the series as well.
Hammer recently dropped out of the Jennifer Lopez action-comedy “Shotgun Wedding” following the first wave of allegations hitting the press. His recent exit is apparently the third project he has vacated. Deadline says he also quietly left “Gaslit,” Sam Esmail-produced Watergate series for UCP, set to star Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, and Joel Edgerton.
Paramount Pictures seems very gung-ho on leveraging Prestige I.P. like “The Godfather,” which feels like the first of many projects to come. Oscar Isaac and Jake Gyllenhaal are already about to star in a rival film about the making of “The Godfather” by director Barry Levinson (this one is not a Paramount project). Ben Affleck recently announced a film adaptation of Sam Wasson’s non-fiction book “The Big Goodbye: ‘Chinatown’ and the Last Years of Hollywood.” Like the original “Chinatown,” the project is set up at Paramount. [Deadline]
