It seems that the planned Dante “Tex” Gill biopic Rub & Tug may not be moving forward following Scarlett Johansson’s exit last week in the week of criticism over her casting as the transgender massage parlour kingpin and crime boss.
The Wrap is reporting that while director Rupert Sanders (Ghost in the Shell) is still attached, it “doesn’t look good” for the movie, and that it’s unclear whether Johansson’s production company These Pictures and Joel Silver’s Silver Pictures will remain on board.
Gill was born Jean Gill, but identified as a man, and ran an empire of illegal massage parlours during the 1970s, as well as an anabolic steroid ring that fuelled the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL team.
Johansson was originally announced as portraying Gill earlier this month but the news was met with criticism, with many people stating that the role should have gone to a transgender actor.
Johansson originally fuelled the backlash by brushing it aside, stating that: “Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.” She then issued a further statement upon her exit apologising for any insensitive comments.
