EXCLUSIVE: Not surprisingly, Playboy Enterprises has put the brakes on a planned biopic about Hugh Hefner with Brett Ratner directing as well as other projects with the filmmaker’s RatPac Entertainment. Earlier this month, trades ran with the news that Jared Leto was set to play Hefner. But calls to the Suicide Squad star’s rep reveal that the Oscar-winning actor never had any intention to take the role.
“Jared Leto is not and was not attached to a Brett Ratner-directed Hugh Hefner film, nor will he be working with him in the future,” Leto’s rep said this afternoon. “Earlier reports were incorrect and not confirmed by his representatives.”
Playboy Enterprises told Deadline earlier today: “We are deeply troubled to learn about the accusations against Brett Ratner. We find this kind of behavior completely unacceptable. We are putting all further development of our projects with RatPac Entertainment on hold until we are able to review the situation further.”
Given the accusations made against Ratner today by six women who went on the record with the Los Angeles Times, it would be impossible to imagine that the Rush Hour filmmaker would even make a feature about the sex empire media tycoon Hefner.
Reportedly, Ratner was set on directing a Hefner movie since 2007 with the project set up at Universal and Imagine Entertainment. Robert Downey Jr. was attached at one point to play Hefner.
The late Jerry Weintraub purchased the rights to make a Hefner movie at one point after they expired at Warner Bros, where he had a deal. Following his death two years ago, Ratner acquired the rights.
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