The director of an upcoming independent film starring Mark Salling has said he is prepared to remove the Glee star from his film but only if the possession of child pornography charges are proved true.
Adi Shankar said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter that he “won’t feed our growing pitchfork culture” and instead will “wait for the all the facts to arrive” before making a decision on whether to cut Salling from Gods and Secrets. The director added that if the allegations are proved true he would “immediately take action, which includes removing his scenes from the project.”
Salling, 33, plays a villain in Gods and Secrets, a film about superheroes and the dark consequences of their existence.
Salling was arrested on Tuesday after the LAPD Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Unit served him with a search warrant. According to TMZ, police found more than a thousand images at Salling’s home. He was booked on $20,000 bail but was released yesterday afternoon after his family posted the bond. His court date is scheduled for Jan. 22.
Shankar’s full statement follows:
Today I was made aware of the serious allegations against Salling as a result of numerous media outlets hounding me as to whether he would remain in “Adi Shankar’s Gods & Secrets.” I won’t feed our growing pitchfork culture. I’m going to wait for all the facts to arrive and if in fact these allegations are true, I will immediately take action which includes removing his scenes from the project.
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Hilary Lewis contributed to this report.
