Jonathan Majors will no longer play the basketball player Dennis Rodman on the big screen, several sources told CNN . More than a year ago, he was cast to play him in the film that would chronicle his trip to Las Vegas during the 1998 NBA Finals.
While one person close to the film, which has the working title “48 Hours in Vegas” warns that Majors has not yet been officially removed from the film, another source says that the actor will not be part of the project.
Last month, a jury found Majors guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari during a domestic dispute.
Majors – who says he is innocent – was convicted of one count of 3rd degree reckless assault and one non-criminal count of harassment. He was acquitted of another charge of assault and aggravated harassment.
Along with the first source, two additional sources told CNN that Lionsgate returned the project to its producers to find a new partner to produce the film.
Majors' legal issues weren't the only factor in behind-the-scenes changes — though the actor's issues certainly complicated things.
The first source says the producers were in negotiations with a director whose plans were beyond the film's budget, so Lionsgate allowed the producers to take the project elsewhere to achieve their creative vision.
Producers are currently shopping the film without Majors, the two additional sources say. And if the film ends up at Lionsgate, the first source firmly claims that Majors “will be let go.”
“I can’t imagine a world where this goes forward with Jonathan,” a person close to the project told CNN noting that wherever the film ends up, Majors won't be its star.
Lionsgate declined to comment. Talent agency WME – which still counts Majors as a client – also declined to comment.
Immediately following his trial last month, Majors was dropped by Marvel, which cast him to star in two new “Avengers” films.
Majors had previously starred “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” last year, as well as the series “Loki” from Disney+ as a version of the character he would play in the films “Avengers” .
Weeks before his arrest in March, Majors was also cast in an Amazon film, “From Understudy” from director Spike Lee.
A source close to the project claims that when the title was announced in the press, the project was at such an early stage that deals had not yet been closed.
Regardless of Majors' legal issues, the film may never have come to fruition if only due to the nature of the long development process.
“This film is in extremely early and deep development where the recent trial would not have been a conversation,” the source familiar with the film told CNN .
A representative for Lee and an Amazon Studios spokesperson declined to comment.
Additionally, months before the Jabbari accusations early last year, Majors received rave reviews at the premiere of “Magazine Dreams” at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
The film was planned to be released theatrically by Disney's Searchlight in December, but in October, before its trial, Disney removed the film from its release calendar.
No new release date has been set, and Disney did not respond to CNN's request for comment.
See also: celebrities involved in legal issues in 2023
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
