Matthew Newton has stepped down as the director of upcoming action film Eve, starring Jessica Chastain, after backlash related to his history of violence.
“Yesterday I notified Jessica Chastain and the other producers on the film Eve that I will be stepping down as director,” wrote Newton in a statement.
But shortly after announcing the film, which was set to begin filming this summer, criticism of Chastain’s decision to work with the director grew.
In an interview conducted earlier this year with Australia’s The Feed, Chastain spoke about ensuring she doesn’t work with abusers on her film sets.