If you thought the world forgot about Woody Allen and his past scandalous behavior, you’re absolutely wrong.

Last week, book publisher Hachette Book Group (HBG) delivered a hatchet to the legendary filmmaker’s memoir, dropping it from their library. The news came a day after employees of the Little, Brown and Company store, owned by HBG, staged a walk-out in protest of Allen’s being in their parent company’s hands. News of the walk-out flooded social media, thanks in part to a tweet sent by Publishers Weekly:

BREAKING: Employees at the Little, Brown imprint of Hachette Book Group have staged a walk-out in protest of the company’s acquisition of Woody Allen's forthcoming memoir. This story is developing.

— Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) March 5, 2020

Ronan Farrow—whose investigation for The New Yorker was vital in bringing Harvey Weinstein to trial—severed ties with Hachette due to the Allen memoir. Farrow is the son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow. With news of the event spreading, HBG had no choice but to act—and act it did. The company released this statement on Friday:

“The decision to cancel Mr. Allen’s book was a difficult one. At HBG we take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly. We have published and will continue to publish many challenging books. As publishers, we make sure every day in our work that different voices and conflicting points of views can be heard.

Also, as a company, we are committed to offering a stimulating, supportive and open work environment for all our staff. Over the past few days, HBG leadership had extensive conversations with our staff and others. After listening, we came to the conclusion that moving forward with publication would not be feasible for HBG.”

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Critics continue their claims of over-reaching by the “cancel culture.” In their opinion, public figures are taken to task too harshly for the things they say. They aren’t given the chance to redeem themselves. While those who believe this are free to do so, that line of defense doesn’t apply to Woody Allen.

There is the highly questionable marriage to adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn. Equally as disturbing, there’s the allegation of sexual abuse by his daughter Dylan, Ronan’s sister. Allen continues to evade these allegations of abuse—something he’s been able to do for decades. However, times have changed. There is a movement that will not forget.

This isn’t cancel culture. This is an eventual reckoning.

What many assumed could stop with Harvey Weinstein may continue on to other names who have escaped any reprimand. Perhaps now men like Allen and Roman Polanski, who allegedly abused their power (and others) and skated clean, will face what’s coming to them.

Charges of sexual misconduct were dropped against Allen in the early ‘90s. While the state prosecutor felt there was probable cause, he refused to put a young child (Dylan) on the stand for testimony. “Grossly inappropriate” is how the judge in that case referred to Allen’s actions with his daughter.

Allen’s filmography will go down as one of the greatest in the film industry. Additionally, Allen is a controversial figure with a highly questionable and suspicious history at best. Both can be true. Allen has been awarded for his artistic achievements on multiple occasions. Now, he should be held accountable for his abusive actions.

Perhaps this is the next step in Hollywood correcting its past—with that duty placed in the hands of its current and future generations. Only time will tell.

LRM Online contributor and active Army soldier Kyle Malone needs your help. CLICK HERE to lend a hand to the cause!

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Source: Publishers Weekly & The Hollywood Reporter.

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