Apple has officially delayed The Banker‘s theatrical release date. The film was set to hit select theaters on December 6. Right now that theatrical release date is TBD.
The film was also set to drop on Apple TV+ in January. Nothing has been officially said in regards to if its streaming debut on Apple TV+ in January will hold.
The Banker‘s AFI Fest premiere was canceled last week after Apple learned of allegations against the son of one of the film’s real-life subjects, who was a co-producer on the film. Apple sent a statement to media outlets saying, “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.”
The two daughters of Bernard Garrett Sr., who is portrayed by Anthony Mackie in the film, allege that their half-brother, Bernard Garrett, Jr., sexually abused them when they were younger. Cynthia Garrett also seems to dispute the timeline of some of the events that are depicted in the movie, as her mother (who is not shown in the film) was married to Garrett at the time when a lot of the events took place, and not his first wife, Eunice, portrayed by Nia Long (read more on the sisters’ allegations here).
Here’s the official description of the film: Based on a true story, 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 of homeownership. Along with Garret’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. The drama is directed by George Nolfi and produced by Joe Viertel.
Deadline reports, “We understand that Garrett Sr. sold the pic rights to Romulus Entertainment, and that deal reverted to Garrett Jr. after his father’s death, making him a co-producer in name only.”
In a statement to Deadline, Garret Jr. said, “My half-sisters Cynthia and Sheila have accused me of molesting them in the early 1970s when I was a teenager of about 15. This simply never happened. Period. What did happen is that I told my father when I discovered that their mother Linda was cheating on him, and they have always blamed me for the break-up that followed. What did happen is that Cynthia asked my father – twice – to give her the right to make a movie of his life story, and twice he turned her down, and instead decided to entrust those rights to me and a friend of mine. These charges against me are deeply humiliating and frustrating because I can never prove how false they are. I can only hope that people will keep an open mind, and though I forgive my sisters and bear them no ill-will, I do hope that people will educate themselves on who Cynthia is – and why she might make these accusations right now – before they take her words as truth. For myself, the best I could do was remove my name from the film and step away so as not to tarnish my father’s legacy, as honoring him and what he stood for was all I ever wanted to do.”
READ MORE:
‘The Banker’: Apple Cancels Festival Premiere Of Its First Major Film Amid Sexual Abuse Allegations
Photo: Apple
From Harlem to Hollywood, get the Black entertainment news you need in your inbox daily.
