The Predator star Olivia Munn brought to the attention of 20th Century Fox a scene featuring a registered sex offender, Steven Wilder Striegel, which prompted the studio to cut it from the final film; as the controversy continues to unfold, we breakdown the timeline of events. Set to theatrically release on Sept. 14, The Predator is a quasi-reboot of the franchise that kicked off with Arnold Schwarzenegger's Predator in 1987. The hit sci-fi action/thriller has become a staple of Hollywood and evolved into one of the longer-running sci-fi/horror franchises alongside fellow Fox property Alien.
Now, though there were two direct follow ups to Predator - 1990's Predator 2 and 2010's Predators - as well as two crossovers with Alien under the banner Alien vs. Predator, The Predator revives the franchise. Original Predator star-turned-director Shane Black took the helm of the new movie, co-writing it with Fred Dekker. The Predator features an impressive cast that includes Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Sterling K. Brown, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan Michael-Key, Thomas Jane and Olivia Munn. The Predator held its world premiere at TIFF, but just prior to the screening, news broke that Fox cut a scene from the Predator film that originally included Steven Wilder Striegel, a registered sex offender.
Related: Biggest & Most Important Films Showing At TIFF 2018
Since then, Munn - who brought the criminal history of Striegel to the attention of Fox - has done a number of interviews on the topic while promoting The Predator at TIFF. As she's sat for interviews, Munn has been brutally honest about how she's felt throughout the process, including saying she's felt "isolated" as many of her fellow cast members and director navigate the fallout from the report of The Predator's cut scene. For those confused on the timeline of events, what's happened since the news broke and/or why the case of The Predator matters so much to some, we break down the movie's controversy.
- This Page: Background Info & Fox Cuts Predator Scene
- Page 2: Cut Scene Story Breaks, TIFF Premiere
- Page 3: Olivia Munn & Cast Responses
- Page 4: Survivor Speaks Out, Where The Scene Would've Been
Background Information About the Key Players
According to The LA Times, actor Steven Wilder Striegel and actor/director Shane Black became friends in 2004 when the former attended a get together at the latter's home. Five years later in 2009, Striegel was arrested for attempting to start a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl online. In 2010, the actor plead guilty to two felonies, risk of injury to a child and enticing a minor by computer, for which he served six months in jail. Due to the sexual nature of the crimes, he also became a registered sex offender.
Over the course of Striegel and Black's friendship, the director has cast the actor in small roles in three of his movies: Marvel Studios' Iron Man 3 in 2013, Warner Bros' The Nice Guys in 2016 and Fox's The Predator. For all three of these films, Black cast Striegel after the latter had plead guilty.
Olivia Munn, for her part, is a survivor of sexual harassment in Hollywood. In a November 2017 LA Times report, Munn was one of six women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against director Brett Ratner. According to Munn, Ratner masturbated in front of her on the set of his 2004 movie After the Sunset. Munn also wrote about the incident in her 2010 autobiographical essay collection, Suck It, Wonder Woman! The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek. Ratner disputed the claims Munn and the other women made against him. Munn has gone on to be an advocate for change in Hollywood, fighting against the environment and institutions that lead to the recent #MeToo and Time's Up movement.
August 15, 2018 - Munn Reports Scene to Fox
According to the LA Times report, Munn shared Striegel's criminal history with Fox on Aug. 15, and the studio quickly decided to cut the three-page scene he shared with Munn. The scene was filmed in February 2017, as evidenced by set photos published by Just Jared, at the start of The Predator's principal photography, which continued through June 2017. Per the Times, Striegel's bit role was that of a jogger and his scene consisted of him hitting on Munn's character, scientist Dr. Casey Bracket.
As Munn revealed on The Ellen Show on Sept. 11, she told her co-stars about Striegel's criminal history after informing the studio. According to Munn, Fox "chastised" her for telling her co-stars, insinuating that since they were cutting the scene there was no reason to bring more attention to Striegel, his scene or his past.
Next Page: Cut Scene Story Breaks, TIFF Premiere
September 6, 2018 - Story Breaks, The Predator TIFF Premiere
The news that Fox cut The Predator scene featuring Striegel was initially reported by the LA Times' Amy Kaufman on Thursday, Sept. 6. For her report, Kaufman received statements from Fox, Munn and Black, but many of the film's other cast members did not offer comments. A spokesperson for Fox said of the scene:
Our studio was not aware of Mr. Striegel’s background when he was hired. We were not aware of his background during the casting process due to legal limitations that impede studios from running background checks on actors.
Meanwhile, Munn told the Times:
[I found it] both surprising and unsettling that Shane Black, our director, did not share this information to the cast, crew, or Fox Studios prior to, during, or after production. However, I am relieved that when Fox finally did receive the information, the studio took appropriate action by deleting the scene featuring Wilder prior to release of the film.
Black released an initial comment to the Times, in which he defended his friend Striegel and said he thought the actor was "caught up in a bad situation versus something lecherous." Black said: "I personally chose to help a friend. I can understand others might disapprove, as his conviction was on a sensitive charge and not to be taken lightly." Later that day, Black issued another statement as reported by THR, apologizing for his decision to cast Striegel in The Predator:
Having read this morning’s news reports, it has sadly become clear to me that I was misled by a friend I really wanted to believe was telling me the truth when he described the circumstances of his conviction. I believe strongly in giving people second chances - but sometimes you discover that chance is not as warranted as you may have hoped. After learning more about the affidavit, transcripts and additional details surrounding Steve Striegel’s sentence, I am deeply disappointed in myself. I apologize to all of those, past and present, I’ve let down by having Steve around them without giving them a voice in the decision.
On the evening of Sept. 6, The Predator held its world premiere screening at TIFF as part of the Midnight Madness lineup. As reported by the LA Times, many members of the cast were in attendance at the red carpet prior to the screening, but Black opted to skip it. He also skipped the post-screening Q&A with the cast and co-writer Fred Dekker. However, according to the Times, Black was in Toronto, and introduced the movie to the assembled audience at the screening. As Munn later told Vanity Fair, a number of her castmates - including Boyd Holbrook, Keegan-Michael Key and Trevante Rhodes - stood to give Black an ovation at the start of the screening. According to Munn, the rest of the audience stayed seated. She said:
I was just confused because I hadn’t heard from them during the day. Everybody else was sitting down—it wasn’t like this massive standing ovation for him. I felt it was still appropriate to clap and cheer, but to actually make that gesture to stand up, especially in this moment . . . and privately I knew that no one reached out to me to say, ‘Are you O.K.?’ It did feel bad.
Munn walked the red carpet at the premiere, doing press for The Predator. Earlier that day, Munn responded to a tweet asking why she was still doing press for the film, saying, "I’m contractually obligated. And from what I’m experiencing, I think they’d prefer I not show up." See her full tweet below.
On the red carpet, Variety asked co-star Jake Busey about the cut Predator scene. The actor reiterated what Munn said, that none of the cast knew about Striegel's past while filming The Predator. When asked if Fox made the right choice to cut the scene, Busey said, "I think politically they had to. There's really no other choice. Morally? I don't know. I don't run a studio. I don't make films. I don't really know much about it all. So unfortunately, it's a sad thing."
Next Page: Olivia Munn Talks to the Press, Cast Members Respond
September 8, 2018 - Munn Does Press For The Predator
On Saturday Sept. 8, Munn and fellow The Predator cast members were scheduled to do interviews at TIFF to promote the film ahead of its wide release. However, Munn told Vanity Fair that a number of her castmates canceled interviews they were meant to do alongsider her, while one cast member walked out of an interview when the cut scene was brought up. Munn also said none of her fellow cast members had reached out to her when news broke of Fox cutting Striegel's scene (though a source told VF at least one castmate had). Munn expanded on how she's felt since the story broke:
I kind of feel like I’m the one going to jail. I didn’t go to jail, I didn’t put this guy on our set. I had this scene deleted. Thank God, honestly, that there is social media. It’s the fans and news outlets that’s confirming it to me that what I did was the right thing. If I didn’t have that feedback, I’d kind of go a little crazy thinking, Why am I being treated like this? That’s not O.K., to feel like the bad guy.
In a video interview with THR (the full video of which is below and worth a watch), Munn sat by herself because the rest of the cast canceled their appearance. She said, "It’s a very lonely feeling to be sitting here by myself when I should be sitting here with the rest of the cast." Further, Munn said she hasn't heard from Black directly since the news of the cut scene broke, though she "appreciates" his public apology.
As part of the LA Times' report on Fox cutting Striegel's scene, the publication reached out to a number of the cast members for comment - including Boyd Holbrook, Sterling K. Brown, Thomas Jane, Trevante Rhodes and Keegan-Michael Key - but none responded. Munn told VF that she privately reached out to her castmates before the initial Times report and encouraged them to give statements. Though none did at the time, some have commented on the issue either at TIFF or in the following days.
Co-stars Munn, Rhodes and Augusto Aguilera sat for a video interview with LA Times Entertainment on Sept. 8 in which both actors responded to the situation of Fox cutting a scene. When asked if they were disappointed with Black, Rhodes said, "I wasn't disappointed in Shane. I was disappointed in the situation and I’m happy that Liv spoke up and it was eradicated." Aguilera went on to say:
It's strange 'cause the first thing I thought of wasn't about Shane at all … There's a serious issue here that Liv was able to point out … More than anything, I didn’t think about Shane, I thought about the possibility of this continuing to happen and where it happens. And also to Liv for speaking up on such a subject because it takes a lot of courage to be able to say that.
Later in the interview with LA Times Entertainment, Munn went on to say, "I don’t accept Shane’s apology. It wasn’t given to me personally. … I think a real apology has to be done privately, not just read publicly, and I read it with the rest of the world. I didn’t get that call. I didn’t get any calls from any producers or anybody saying, ‘Thank you for letting us know,’ or, ‘Thank you for letting us know before the movie.’" She additionally reiterated she informed Fox of the scene two days before the movie was locked - meaning the cut of the film was finalized and couldn't be changed before it was meant to hit theaters.
September 9, 2018 - Keegan-Michael Key & Sterling K. Brown Respond
The Predator actor Keegan-Michael Key issued a statement on Sunday Sept. 9, as reported by VF, concerning Munn sitting for the THR interview by herself and the claim that none of her co-stars reached out privately prior to the TIFF screening. A spokesperson for Key said:
Keegan was never booked to do an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. His last interview was scheduled after lunch, which he completed. He was always departing TIFF early so he could be home to spend the Jewish holiday with his wife. Furthermore, Keegan reached out to Olivia privately last week to let her know how proud he was of her and echoed that sentiment in many interviews since then.
The Predator star Sterling K. Brown issued a statement on Sunday Sept. 9 through his official Twitter. In a thread, Brown apologized to Munn for feeling isolated and for having to do interviews alone. The actor clarified that he was not at TIFF and turned the conversation back to an issue Munn has raised, which is that she and her fellow cast members were never given the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they felt comfortable working with a registered sex offender. That decision was made by Black when he cast Strigel and didn't inform the studio or the cast of the actor's past. See Brown's full Twitter thread below.
September 10, 2018 - Boyd Holbrook Responds, Munn Clarifies 'Isolated' Comment
On Monday Sept. 10, The Predator star Boyd Holbrook responded to the conversation surrounding the movie's cut scene and how it was handled by the cast with a statement on Instagram. In the statement, the actor apologized for issuing his response so late in the conversation, made clear he supports Munn and revealed why he felt it necessary to cancel press appearances. Read his statement in full below, as obtained by Deadline.
I want to start by apologizing for this statement coming late in the current conversation. I do not take any of what has gone on lightly, and I want to speak from the most honest and genuine place possible. I have stated before, and I will state it again, I am proud of Olivia for the way that she handled a difficult and alarming situation, and I am grateful that Fox took the information seriously and took action swiftly.
It is true that I pulled out of a small amount of press on Saturday, as this type of social commentary is new to me and given the nature of the originating crime, I felt further discussion could cause unwanted trauma and pain, neither of which I wanted to incite to the anonymous young woman. I now realize that my understanding of the situation was not the full picture and the last thing I want is for Olivia to ever feel abandoned or alone. We are in the midst of a very crucial and important time and it is imperative that we keep listening.
Further, Munn responded to a series of tweets by THR staff writer Chris Gardner about Key's statement from the day before. Munn clarified that Key reached out to her a week prior, before the story broke in the Times, and that she felt "isolated" by the cast's silence since the report was published and their standing ovation for Black at the premiere. See her tweet below.
Next Page: Survivor Speaks Out, Where The Scene Would've Been
September 13, 2018 - The Survivor Issues A Statement
On Thursday Sept. 13 - a week after The Times published their report on the cut scene - the Jane Doe involved in Striegel's case came forward, identifying herself and issuing a statement about her experiences as well as the events around The Predator. Paige Carnes, now 24, said, "My purpose in making this statement is to reclaim my identity." The Times was able to verify her identity using legal documents provided by Carnes. Read Carnes' full statement below.
My purpose in making this statement is to reclaim my identity.
Sexual abuse makes people uncomfortable. It should make you uncomfortable. This discomfort is nothing compared to the psychological and physical suffering of those who have dealt with it.
I was not able to speak for myself when I was 14. The consequences of this abuse are profound and permanent for some. When the abuse takes place with a child, it is even harder to overcome. You lose trust in everyone around you, and mainly yourself. Your abuse does not define you. With support from others and strength from within, you can overcome the label of victim and reclaim your identity.
Support can come in many forms. Sometimes all it takes is one person speaking up for you, acknowledging your worth as a human being. I am extremely fortunate to have a Father and Mother that love me unconditionally. My Father has supported me in my healing and growth in ways I cannot thank him enough for.
I am also eternally grateful for Olivia Munn’s action. She spoke up for me. She took a stance for me. In turn she stood for all who have suffered like I have. To be acknowledged by a stranger, on a public platform about this issue is incredibly empowering. The positive feedback from social media towards Olivia Munn is uplifting and feels incredibly supportive for me personally.
I have no shame for what was done to me. I am not the one who needs to carry that shame. My name is Paige Carnes, former Jane Doe.
I hope anyone who has suffered like I have regains their voice and their humanity.
September 14, 2018 - The Predator Releases In Theaters
On Friday Sept. 14, The Predator released theatrically around the world. Fox's latest entry in the Predator franchise opened to mixed reviews, with a rotten 34 percent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes - and a slightly higher audience score of 51 percent. With the release of The Predator, we can determine where the cut scene would have been in the movie. Based on the set photos and descriptions of Munn's scene with Striegel, it's clear The Predator cut scene would have served as Munn's introduction as her character Dr. Casey Bracket. In the final cut of the movie, Casey's introduction starts after what would have been her interaction with Streigel's jogger.
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This article will be updated with new information about the scene Fox cut from The Predator as it becomes available.
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