Morgan Spurlock's recent admission to sexual harassment and misconduct prompts Warrior Poets to remove his film, Super Size Me 2, from the Sundance Film Festival. YouTube Red also drops the sequel from its scheduled release in 2018.
Google-owned YouTube Red has canceled its plan to release Super Size Me 2 in 2018 following Spurlock's admission. A spokeswoman confirmed that that the company has decided not to distribute the film on the paid streaming service.
Shortly after You Tube's announcement, Warrior Poets also announced its decision to remove the sequel from its entry to the Sundance Film Festival. The film was initially scheduled to premiere in the Spotlight section.
"Due to Morgan Spurlock stepping down from Warrior Poets, we the partners have decided that this is not the appropriate time for Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Therefore, we will be removing the documentary from the festival's slate," co-founder Matthew Galkin and Jeremy Chilnick said in a joint statement on Friday.
In light of the Harvey Weinstein scandal that shook the film industry, more people have come out with their own admission to sexual harassment. Spurlock added his name to the list when he admitted to having committed the unlawful act in a lengthy post on his Twitter.
On his post titled I am Part of the Problem, the documentary filmmaker admitted that he called his former female assistant "sex pants" or "hot pants." There was no legal complaint filed since she agreed to a settlement. He also admitted to being unfaithful to every wife and girlfriend he ever had.
In the same Twitter post, Spurlock also questioned his motives for being the way he is. He talked about a sexual abuse he experienced when he was a boy but only shared the details with his first wife. Regardless of the reason, the filmmaker admitted that he is part of the problem why sexual harassment exists. At the end of his post, Spurlock vouched to become a better man.
"The only individual I have control over is me. So starting today, I'm going to be more honest with you and myself. I'm going to lay it all out in the open," Spurlock said on Twitter.
It is still unclear what happens now to Super Size Me 2 following the respective decision from YouTube Red and Warrior Poets not to release the film.
