‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri’ Yanked From Fantastic Fest
Fox Searchlight, Film 4 and the filmmakers have made the decision to yank its film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri from the Fantastic Fest line-up after they found out that Alamo Drafthouse Cinema which runs Austin’s Fantastic Fest was employing Devin Faraci, who was publicly accused of sexual assault. The story was first reported by Deadline’s sister company Variety.
The film, written and directed by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges), is described as “a darkly comedic drama.” The logline: The movie follows a case growing cold after the rape and murder of a woman’s daughter — and therein lies the controversy — the mother Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) makes a bold move, commissioning three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), the town’s revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), an immature mother’s boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing’s law enforcement is only exacerbated.”
Fox Searchlight sent Deadline this statement: “In light of recent events, the makers of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, have decided not to participate in Fantastic Fest.”
The film also stars Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Lucas Hedges, Željko Ivanek, Caleb Landry Jones, Clarke Peters, Samara Weaving with John Hawkes and Peter Dinklage. It is scheduled for release on Nov. 10, 2017.
Fantastic Fest takes place in Austin and the screenings run the gamut from Alexander Payne’s Downsizing, Magnolia Pictures’ The Square (which won the Palme d’Or), A24’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer to the Cory Finley film Thoroughbred and Frank Grillo’s Wheelman. The festival boasts itself to be the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and action. The festival runs this yea from Sept. 21 to Sept. 28.
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