Armie Hammer's New Movie Trailer Is Causing A Stir

In early January, unverified screenshots of messages supposedly sent by actor Armie Hammer took the Internet by storm. The messages included disturbing fantasies involving cannibalism, after that, it was headline after headline of salacious allegations. Although the alleged texts were initially met with skepticism, other women have since come forward, stating that the messages "aren't all that surprising," per Complex. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the allegations resulted in Hammer getting ousted from Hollywood. The actor not only got dropped by his top-tier agency but also left the cast of the film "Shotgun Wedding." In the wake of his departure from Hollywood, more women came forward with allegations against Hammer. And in March, Insider reported that the LAPD had started an investigation into allegations of sexual assault by Hammer. The investigation wrapped in December, TMZ reported, and it's unclear whether charges will come of it.

So, as one can imagine with all of this news, Hammer's reemergence in Hollywood via his new movie has people talking.

On December 21, the Hollywood Reporter announced that Kenneth Branaugh's latest film, "Death on the Nile," which Armie Hammer stars, will still get released in February 2022, despite Hammer's fall from grace. As highlighted by the outlet, the trailer for the film includes Hammer, as does the poster. At one point in the preview, Hammer — who plays Simon Doyle — is seen embracing Gal Gadot, who stars as Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle. However, he's not shown much elsewhere in the film, as one Twitter user joked, "The new Death on the Nile trailer really said 'we know Armie Hammer is still in the movie, but we're not showing you Armie Hammer is still in the movie.'" Someone else agreed with the editing, writing, "I'm choosing to not let one person ruin all this hard work and me enjoying the movie for what it is."

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Branaugh's movie — a murder mystery based on an Agatha Christie novel — had wrapped filming over a year before allegations against Hammer surfaced. The movie was initially slated for a 2020 release but got delayed due to COVID-19. Disney considered reshooting Hammer's scenes in the film with a new actor, according to a source who spoke to the Hollywood Reporter. However, given the coronavirus and the schedules of the highly-acclaimed ensemble cast (the film also stars Tom Bateman and Letitia Wright), this proved impossible. 

If one thing is for sure, it's that Hammer's involvement in the project will undoubtedly cause a stir when it hits theaters in February.