The Predator

Fox ordered a scene to be cut from ‘The Predator’ after Olivia Munn became aware that a scene she filmed in the movie was with a registered sex offender. The actress went to the studio who demanded it is taken out of the movie. The scene in question involved Steven Wilder Striegel hitting on Munn’s character. The problem here though is that Striegel pled guilty in 2010 for trying to lure a 14-year-old girl into a sexual relationship online.

Things get worse as we’ve learned that director Shane Black knew some of this and allowed the actor to still take part in his movie, without letting anyone else know about it.

According to a representative from Fox:

“Our studio was not aware of Mr. Striegel’s background when he was hired. Several weeks ago, when the studio learned the details, his one scene in the film was removed within 24 hours. We were not aware of his background during the casting process due to legal limitations that impede studios from running background checks on actors.”

While Black initially stated that “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.” At that time he felt that Striegel had just been “caught up in a bad situation versus something lecherous.”

However, after finding out more details, Black says that he’s “deeply disappointed in myself”:

“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.”

Initially, Munn stated that it was “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.”

She would later go on to add that:

This is a complicated subject. In Munn’s shoes, I would feel the exact way. On the flip side, legally it is a slippery slope to disclose past crimes to fellow employees. That being said, Black probably shouldn’t have hired his friend in the first place.

Unless the movie ends up as being an unstoppable blockbuster at the box office, it is likely that Black can stop thinking about those possible sequel plans.

Do you agree that the scene should have been removed from the film? Should Shane Black have even hired Steven Wilder Striegel for ‘The Predator’? If so, did he have any right to share Striegel’s past while that could have been a sticky situation legally to do so? Strap on your Internet Lawyer hats and share your thoughts in the comments below!

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment WeeklyOlivia Munn’s Twitter.