Warner Bros. cuts ties with Brett Ratner in wake of sexual misconduct allegations

Warner Bros. is severing ties to Brett Ratner after six women accused the filmmaker of sexual misconduct in a Los Angeles Times exposé published Wednesday.

An individual with knowledge of the situation told EW that Ratner’s first-look deal with the studio has expired and will not be renewed, that he is no longer on board as a producer of the Donna Tartt adaptation The Goldfinch, and that his company, RatPac Entertainment, will no longer hold office space on the Warner Bros. lot.

RatPac also partnered with Dune Entertainment in 2013 for a $450-million co-financing deal with Warner Bros. that will reportedly expire in 2018; the future of that agreement is unclear.

In a statement to EW, Ratner, 48, said he was parting ways with Warner Bros. “In light of the allegations being made, I am choosing to personally step away from all Warner Bros.-related activities,” the statement said.” I don’t want to have any possible negative impact to the studio until these personal issues are resolved.”

Earlier Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times published a report detailing alleged sexual misconduct on the part of Ratner, a director and producer whose credits include Rush Hour and X-Men: The Last Stand. Actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge were among the six women accusing Ratner, with Henstridge claiming he forced her to perform oral sex on him in the early 1990s.

Ratner denied the claims through his attorney, Martin Singer. “I have represented Mr. Ratner for two decades, and no woman has ever made a claim against him for sexual misconduct or sexual harassment,” Singer told the newspaper. “Furthermore, no woman has ever requested or received any financial settlement from my client.”

In the wake of the Times report, a number of Hollywood figures denounced Ratner’s alleged misconduct, and Playboy said it was shelving Ratner’s planned Hugh Hefner biopic. Warner Bros. initially said in a statement, “We are aware of the allegations in the LA Times and are reviewing the situation.”