8 Upcoming Movies That Have Sparked Massive Controversy
2. Ocean's 8
Release Date: 22 June 2018
The Controversy: After Matt Damon made some misguided comments about the #MeToo movement - where, among other things, he stated that men who aren't sexual predators aren't being talked about enough - he faced a swift and vocal counterblast.
At the center of this is a petition to remove him from the upcoming Ocean's 8, in which he'll have a brief cameo.
The petition has over 25,000 signatures and states that the all-female film is meant to be an empowering moment for women, and that Damon's inclusion would trivialize the serious nature of the crimes committed by sexual abusers.
#MeToo is one of the biggest movie-related movements in history and it's already been shown that it can prompt change - Kevin Spacey was recently removed from All The Money In The World after his predatory behaviour was brought into the light, for example.
Based on this alone, it's both possible and likely that Damon's cameo is left on the cutting room floor. A cameo won't have too much of an effect on the film's plot, so its absence will hardly be noticeable or jarring.
But whether he should be removed from the film or not is the current debate, and though Ocean's 8's producers have yet to respond, you have to imagine they're aware of all the uproar.