• Apple has reportedly canceled the world premiere of its feature film The Banker.
• The show was due to premiere in Hollywood, Thursday, November 21.
• An Apple official statement says "some concerns surrounding the film were brought to our attention" and that it needs time to look into matters.
A report from Deadline has revealed that Apple has canceled the premiere of its first major film, The Banker , which was due to air in Hollywood tonight. (November 21)
According to the report:
In a virtually unprecedented development, AFI Fest has been forced to make a last-minute switch of their closing night film, The Banker which was scheduled to have its World Premiere in Hollywood Thursday night. Netflix's Marriage Story, already in theatrical release, has been tapped to take the slot.
The report claims a source within Apple has revealed that it has paused the scheduled movie release touted for December 6, and subsequent streaming release next year, following "recently uncovered, and potentially damaging, charges that have surfaced from a family member of the Garretts." Anthony Mackie plays Bernard Garrett Sr. in The Banker . A true story, Apple's about section of the film states:
"The Banker" centers on revolutionary businessmen Bernard Garrett (Anthony Mackie) and Joe Morris (Samuel L. Jackson), who devise an audacious and risky plan to take on the racist establishment of the 1960s by helping other African Americans pursue the American dream. Along with Garrett's wife Eunice (Nia Long), they train a working-class white man, Matt Steiner (Nicholas Hoult), to pose as the rich and privileged face of their burgeoning real estate and banking empire – while Garrett and Morris pose as a janitor and a chauffeur. Their success ultimately draws the attention of the federal government, which threatens everything the four have built.
Deadline states that the reported allegations do not involve anyone depicted in the film. An Apple official statement on the matter said:
"We purchased The Banker earlier this year as we were moved by the film's entertaining and educational story about social change and financial literacy. Last week some concerns surrounding the film were brought to our attention. We, along with the filmmakers, need some time to look into these matters and determine the best next steps. In light of this, we are no longer premiering The Banker at AFI Fest."
Deadline claims to have learned separately that a family member has shared troubling allegations over Garret's son, Bernard Garrett Jr, with "at least one Hollywood trade paper which is planning a story."
According to The Hollywood Reporter Cynthia and Sheila Garrett, the half-brother of Bernard Garrett Jr, allege that they were assaulted by him:
Garrett Jr.'s half-sisters, roughly 15 years his junior, have recently made Apple aware of their claim that when he was a young man living in their home, he sexually molested them over the course of a few years. The sisters made the claim in connection with separate allegations that the timeline of the film was tweaked in order to leave the girls and their mother out of the story and instead feature Bernard Garrett Sr.'s first wife, even though he had already divorced her by the time of some of the events depicted in the film.
That report notes that Garrett Jr.'s credit has disappeared from publicity materials and that all further appearances have been canceled. He had previously been working to promote the film, taking part in Q&As and consulting during production.
