Gal Gadot confirms accused producer Ratner out of ‘Wonder Woman’ sequel

Israeli actress Gal Gadot said Wednesday that she was not alone in not wanting producer Brett Ratner, who has been accused of sexual harassment, involved in a “Wonder Woman” sequel.

The “Wonder Woman” star told NBC’s “Today Show” that Ratner had been removed from the film by pressure from others even before a Page Six report on November 11 that she had refused to sign up for a sequel to the box office hit unless distributor Warner Bros. cuts its financing deal on the film with Ratner.

“Everyone knew what was the right thing to do, but there was nothing for me to actually come and say, ’cause it was already done before this article came out, you know,” said Gadot, who played the title character in the 2017 blockbuster.

“So, at the end of the day, a lot has been written about my views and the way that I feel, and everyone knows the way that I feel because I’m not hiding anything. But the truth is, there’s so many people involved in making this movie, it’s not just me, and they all echoed the same sentiments. You know what I mean?” she said.

Earlier this month, Warner Bros. severed its ties with Ratner amid multiple sexual harassment claims made against him. The claims were first detailed in a November 1 Los Angeles Times report.

A person familiar with the decision said that Ratner’s expired first-look production deal with the studio will not be renewed and that he will no longer occupy the office space he rented on the company’s lot in Burbank, Calif. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Ratner’s production company, RatPac Entertainment does have a financing deal with the studio that will continue until March 2018. The person said it is unclear whether that will be renewed. The $450-million co-financing deal was signed in 2013.

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Ratner said earlier he was personally stepping away from Warner Bros. related activity, but has denied the allegations against him.

Last month, Gadot withdrew from an awards dinner honoring Ratner, who was once accused of masturbating in front of actress Olivia Munn. Gadot was scheduled to present the Tree of Life award to Ratner at event for the Jewish National Fund before deciding to cancel her appearance.

Gadot did not link her cancellation at the awards dinner to the allegations against Ratner, instead saying she had a scheduling conflict.

Gadot has strongly condemned sexual harassment as allegations in Hollywood against powerful figures have multiplied in recent weeks, and has applauded women who had come forward with allegations of wrongdoing.

“I think that we are in the midst of a very interesting, important trend of people speaking out,” Gadot told told Israel’s Hadashot news (formerly Channel 2) in an interview aired last Thursday. “I only hope that it is not just going to be a trend but it is going to be a profound change.”

AP contributed to this report.