Armie Hammer Scandal Holds Up Release of Agatha Christie Sequel

The long-delayed release of Kenneth Branagh's "Death on the Nile," his second Hercule Poirot feature, has been pushed back to Valentine's Day, 2022, Variety reports. This marks the sixth date change for the film's release. The film is a sequel to Branagh's 2017 hit "Murder on the Orient Express," which marked the first time the actor/director played Agatha Christie's iconic character Hercule Poirot.

"The prominent thorn in the rosy picture is Armie Hammer, the disgraced leading man who has been dropped by numerous employers in the wake of a rape allegation and multiple claims of abusive behavior with extramarital partners," Variety adds. "Hammer is now in the middle of a very public custody battle with his estranged wife Elizabeth Chambers, who announced their divorce in July 2020 after 10 years of marriage."

EMN reported that earlier this month Hammer was under investigation for sexual assault, Los Angeles police.

Hammer has denied the accusations against him with his lawyer stating that the "Call Me By Your Name" star "has maintained that all of his interactions ... have been completely consensual, discussed and agreed upon in advance, and mutually participatory."

Part of the problem is the prominent role that Hammer has in the film and the high costs that would entail if the film was reshot. "Reshoots, after all, could cost tens of millions and would be nearly impossible to pull off given the packed schedules of the ensemble, which includes Annette Bening, iconic comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, 'Game of Thrones' star Rose Leslie and Sophie Okonedo," Variety reports.

The "Death on the Nile" date change comes as Hammer was dropped from another film. He "is no longer attached to the thriller 'Billion Dollar Spy,' " Variety has learned exclusively. Hammer was set to star opposite Mads Mikkelsen in the Cold War drama that comes from filmmaker Amma Asante. This was final upcoming project to which Hammer was attached, which means that "every studio that was in business with Hammer, prior to the allegations, has now officially cut ties with the actor." This includes the sequel to "Call Me By Your Name," which has not yet gone beyond the planning stages. Variety reached out to director Luca Guadagnino, but he didn't comment.

Since accusations about him first appeared on social media earlier this year, Hammer's career has been in free fall. "The allegations first surfaced in Jan. 2021 on the anonymous Instagram account, House of Effie, which began posting screenshots of alleged conversations between Hammer and other women, depicting disturbing messages, ranging from sexual fetishes of cannibalism to rape fantasies. (Hammer has not verified the authenticity of the messages.)," wrote Variety.

He was cut from two high-profile projects: The romantic comedy "Shotgun Wedding," in which he was originally cast opposite Jennifer Lopez, and Paramount's "The Offer," a series about the making of "The Godfather."