Emma Thompson Steps Out of Skydance Animation’s ‘Luck’ In Response to John Lasseter Hire

There is a lot of controversy surrounding Skydance Animation recently, thanks to the studio’s decision to hire John Lasseter as the head of animation. Although Lasseter was once powerhouse in the animation industry, he is the subject of some major controversy lately. Several women came forward and revealed that Lasseter sexually harassed women in the animation industry. As a result, Lasseter took leave from Pixar in late 2017 and he officially left both Disney and Pixar in June 2018.

Skydance Animation’s decision to hire Lasseter has not gone without criticism. According to Deadline and Variety, British actress Emma Thompson decided to quit her voice-over role in the studio’s upcoming movie, Luck, because of Lasseter. Luck is being directed by Alessandro Carloni and is supposed to be released sometime in 2021. Not much is known about the plot of Luck, other than it is supposed to be about the forces that control good luck and bad luck. As of right now the rest of the voice cast for Luck is unknown and it is also unknown who will replace Thompson or if she will be replaced at all. Skydance Animation is working on another film called Split which is being written and directed by Vicky Jensen and Linda Woolverton.

Many people are angry that someone like John Lasseter, who has frequently been accused of sexual harassment, was given a position of power. It can be argued that Skydance is putting its employees at risk by hiring Lasseter.