T.I. not returning for 'Ant-Man 3' after sexual assault allegations
T.I. will not return to the Ant-Man franchise following accusations of sexual assault levelled at him, which he has denied.
Earlier this week it was reported that a lawyer representing 11 alleged sexual assault victims of the rapper/actor, his wife or members of their entourage has been approaching law enforcement authorities seeking a criminal investigation.
The New York Times reports that four women have accused T.I (real name Clifford Harris) and his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, of drugging and sexually assaulting them, including two instances of rape that took place in Georgia and California. Lawyer Tyrone A. Blackburn has now sent letters to state and federal prosecutors in those states as well as their attorneys-general.
As they did in January, regarding accusations made by former friend Sabrina Peterson, T.I. and Harris have denied all allegations, which the pair’s lawyer described to the Times as “baseless and unjustified”.
Now, The Hollywood Reporter has learned that T.I will not return for the the third instalment in the Ant-Man franchise, Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania. It’s unclear, however, whether this is linked to the sexual assault allegations.
The film, which is still in development with an expected release date for 2022, will see Paul Rudd return as Scott Lang/Ant-Man. T.I. starred in Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018) as Dave, a friend to Ant-Man who aided him on his adventures.
Peyton Reed returns to direct the third film, which also stars Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Newcomers include Jonathan Majors as villain Kang the Conqueror and Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, daughter of Rudd’s Scott Lang.