Warner Bros. reportedly cuts ties with filmmaker Brett Ratner after harassment allegations


After six women came forward with allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against filmmaker Brett Ratner, Warner Bros. decided to sever ties with him, several people with knowledge of the situation told The Hollywood Reporter Wednesday.
The women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, shared their stories with the Los Angeles Times; Ratner's attorney, Martin Singer, said Ratner "categorically" denied the allegations. Ratner released a statement saying that in light of the accusations, "I am choosing to personally step away from all Warner Bros.-related activities. I don't want to have any possible negative impact to the studio until these personal issues are resolved."
Warner Bros. decided it will not renew his first-look deal, which had already expired, and he can no longer rent the offices on the studio lot once used by Frank Sinatra, The Hollywood Reporter says; the Rush Hour director has also been removed as a producer on the film adaptation of the book The Goldfinch. Ratner remains a partner in RatPac-Dune Entertainment; he formed RatPac Entertainment in 2012 with Australian billionaire James Packer, and the company merged with current U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's Dune Entertainment in 2013. That year, Warner Bros. signed a $450 million financing agreement with the joint venture.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
5 artfully drawn cartoons about Donald Trump's Epstein doodle
Cartoons Artists take on a mountainous legacy, creepy art, and more
-
Violent videos of Charlie Kirk’s death are renewing debate over online censorship
Talking Points Social media ‘promises unfiltered access, but without guarantees of truth and without protection from harm’
-
What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year