Armie Hammer’s life took a major turn in 2021 after he became embroiled in a situation involving leaked DMs that featured sexual content and cannibalistic fantasies. Shortly after, Hammer faced accusations of sexual assault and emotional abuse, though he was never formally charged with any offenses. The actor’s career has been mostly stagnant since, though he’s teamed up with director Uwe Boll for a new film that’s since been banned in Germany. Now, Boll is explaining his reasons for hiring the “canceled” Hammer.
Boll and Hammer are teaming up for Citizen Vigilante, an action film that sees Hammer playing a man looking to take the law into his own hands. As of late, Boll has been promoting his latest film and discussing his rationale for crafting the story. The BloodRayne helmer recently spoke to The Telegraph UK, during which he discussed the topic of Hammer’s casting. As the German filmmaker explained to the outlet, his thought process for bringing the Social Network star onto his movie was relatively straightforward:
I cast Armie Hammer in the lead because he’s a great actor, and also because he was cancelled and wanted to work.
After the allegations and leaked texts, Hammer saw several career setbacks, including a severing of ties from talent agency WME. He was also dropped from Jennifer Lopez’s Shotgun Wedding along with the film Billion Dollar Spy and the Paramount+ limited series The Offer. Ahead of that situation boiling over, Hammer landed roles in high-profile films like Call Me by Your Name, Nocturnal Animals and The Birth of a Nation. Boll further emphasized the lack of charges against Hammer and what he found appealing about him:
He wasn’t charged with anything, there was no lawsuit. He was just a guy who was famous and fucking around. He’s a handsome, charismatic guy, who could be James Bond. In fact, he’d be perfect for the part.
As it stands, though, citizens in Boll’s native country of Germany won’t be able to see his star’s performance film due to the aforementioned banning. The film has been barred from being released in the region due to its high level of violence. Additionally, the Telegraph reports that the film has been barred from being screened due to its purported anti-migrant message. (For context, immigrant-perpetrated crimes play a major role in the narrative.)
Uwe Boll has long been known to somewhat stray off the beaten path when it comes to some of the creative decisions he makes with his film. While many of the filmmaker’s flicks have been met with negative reviews and tepid box office numbers, he continues to work using his specific sensibilities. That also seems to include casting whomever he sees fit for his films. On that note, Boll apparently has a desire to work with other stars who’ve been married in controversies, and he even named a specific Oscar winner:
Take Kevin Spacey, for instance. One of the best actors working today. I’d love to cast him in a strong male lead in one of my pictures, but by doing so, I can guarantee that the film would not get an American distributor. To me, that’s unfair. He won all the lawsuits and legal cases, and now he’s stuck in these very cheap exotic movies he’s making now. I think he should come back and get another shot.
In the years since Armie Hammer’s troubles occurred, he’s been real about the cannibalism controversy, and he’s even expressed a level of gratitude for it all playing out. The reason he says he feels “grateful” now is because before everything happened, he was in a place in his life in which he “didn’t feel good” or “satisfied.” Hammer now feels he’s in a place where he can give himself “self-validation” after years of having been unable to do so.
This new film with Uwe Boll marks a significant professional step for its star and it also signifies something of a full-circle moment for Armie Hammer. Originally titled The Dark Knight during pre-production, Citizen Vigilante sees Hammer finally getting to play a crusader of sorts years after he was linked to the role of Batman. Make no mistake, though, as Hammer’s character in this latest film is quite different from the brooding hero of Gotham City, and it sounds like Boll is happy with the work his leading man put in.
Citizen Vigilante is set to open in select theaters and on digital platforms on June 19 amid the 2026 movie schedule.
