Josh Duhamel will be replacing Armie Hammer in the action romance-comedy amid the Call Me by Your Name star's recent online controversy. Hammer decided to step down from the role after graphic private messages, allegedly from the actor, were leaked by an anonymous social media account. The authenticity of these private messages has not been confirmed. In a released statement, Hammer said, "I'm not responding to these bull- claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for 4 months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic."
"Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I'm grateful to them for that," he concluded.
Shotgun Wedding, produced by Jennifer Lopez and Ryan Reynolds, is scheduled to begin filming on February 22 in the Dominican Republic. The film follows Darcy and Tom at their extravagant destination wedding. Before heading down the aisle, the couple starts to get cold feet, and things go awry when the wedding gets hijacked with the guests caught in a hostage situation.
People Magazine first reported the news of Duhamel's signing on to the film.
Since his days as fan-favorite Leo du Pres on ABC's All My Children, Duhamel has gone on to star in the NBC series Las Vegas, costarring General Hospital's Vanessa Marcil. His credits also include the Transformers saga, Love, Simon, and Win a Date with Ted Hamilton!. He is set to star in the upcoming Netflix superhero series Jupiter's Legacy, which is based on the Mark Millar and Frank Quitely comic books that follows the first generation of superheroes who received their powers in 1930. The series is expected to premiere sometime this year.
UPDATE (February 2, 2021): Erin Westerman, president of production for the Lionsgate Motion Pictures Group has officially announced Duhamel’s casting.
"We couldn't be happier for our bride and groom of this Shotgun Wedding," said Westerman, confirming the casting of Duhamel. “We know Josh and Jennifer will make a compelling and sexy on-screen couple and they will be fun sparring partners as their dream destination wedding erupts into a memorable nightmare. We are also thrilled to bring Jennifer [Coolidge] and Sonia [Braga] on to our cast as Mothers of the Bride and Groom. Their acting and comedic talents will add another fun layer to this already-rich action-comedy."
Sonia Braga will play Lopez's character's mother, with Jennifer Coolidge playing Duhamel's character's mom.
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