In response to women throughout Hollywood revealing producer Harvey Weinstein's ties to sexual harassment, Channing Tatum has announced that he's pulling his upcoming film project from the Weinstein Company. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tatum and his partner Reid Carolin were slated to co-direct and produce an adaptation of the YA book Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock for the prestigious film company.
Tatum explained his decision on social media, first expressing his admiration for the women who have shared their stories about Weinstein. "The brave women who had the courage to stand up and speak their truth about Harvey Weinstein are true heroes to us," he said in an Instagram post. "They are lifting the heavy bricks to build the equitable world we all deserve to live in."
"Our lone project in development with [The Weinstein Company]—Matthew Quick's brilliant book, Forgive Me Leonard Peacock—is a story about a boy whose life was torn asunder by sexual abuse," Tatum continued. "While we will no longer develop it or anything else that is property of TWC, we are reminded of its powerful message of healing in the wake of tragedy."
Tatum isn't the first to withdraw a project from Weinstein's organization following the influx of sexual abuse allegations. Lin-Manuel Miranda expressed desire to take back the rights to an In the Heights film adaptation, while Amazon Studios has cut ties with Weinstein-produced shows.
"The truth is out," Tatum said in his statement. "Let's finish what our incredible colleagues started and eliminate abuse from our creative culture once and all."
Given the media industry's fervent response to Weinstein's actions, it seems that Hollywood is actively trying to achieve this kind of atmosphere, but there's definitely a long way to go to reach this point.