“The Umbrella Academy” is a series based on a series of comics created and written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Ba. It tells the story of siblings transformed into a team of superheroes. The seven are adopted by billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves and hired to fight crime. The combination of action, black comedy and superhero movies appealed to viewers.
The Umbrella Academy creator accused of sexism and discrimination
The first season of the series was watched by 45 million households within a month of its premiere, and the production immediately became one of the most watched series on the platform in 2019. Interest in the title was also boosted by its positive reviews. All three seasons were warmly received by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series’ average according to critics is 86 percent on the freshness scale. On August 8, 2024, the fourth season of “The Umbrella Academy” is to debut on Netflix.
There is a lot of noise around the series, or rather its creator, writer and showrunner, not necessarily in a good sense of the word. Steve Blackman was accused by his co-workers of creating an unhealthy atmosphere on the set and vulgar comments.
According to The Rolling Stone, Blackman allegedly discriminated against her after work on the second and third seasons of “The Umbrella Academy” had already begun. The showrunner hired two writers, one of whom went on maternity leave after a month, while the other continued working on the script. The pregnant woman returned to writing a month before their contract ended, but work on the series was extended by another few weeks. Allegedly, due to the delays, contracts were extended for everyone except the female writing team.
“Someone called me and told me not to take this job”
Blackman cited budget cuts and the desire to replace the employees with a “more experienced writer.” However, the complaint filed against the creator to Universal Content Productions says otherwise. The showrunner allegedly complained to team members multiple times that a writer who went on maternity leave had “cheated” on him. He also accused her of hiding her pregnancy. “He told me he fired them because one of them was pregnant and didn’t tell him,” one of the writers for “The Umbrella Academy” told The Rolling Stone.
The Umbrella Academy’s 12 cast members, who worked on the show through its entire run, have accused Blackman of creating a toxic work environment. Several have called their time under the showrunner’s watch one of the most turbulent experiences of their careers. “I had someone call me and whisper into the phone, terrified, that I shouldn’t take the job,” says one writer who didn’t heed the warning.
The Rolling Stone sources and the complaint by Blackman’s employees depict the creator as a “manipulative, chaotic showrunner who created a toxic workplace, pitted employees against each other, made everyone work in fear and distrust, and took credit for other people’s work.” The accusations also include allegations of “lewd remarks” that Blackman allegedly made. Anonymous sources told the outlet that the creator made “sexist, homophobic, and transphobic” comments.
Steve Blackman denies employee allegations
Despite Blackman’s employees raising the alarm about his inappropriate behavior, Universal Content Productions cleared the creator of the allegations. However, The Rolling Stone reports that most of the people who signed the complaint were not even contacted to clarify the situation. The employees whose credit Blackman allegedly claimed were even supported by the Writers Guild of America.
Steve Blackman has officially rejected all allegations and accusations. The creator emphasizes that they are “completely false and absurd”. “These allegations made by a handful of disgruntled employees are completely false and outrageous and in no way reflect the working environment that was created during the filming of ‘The Umbrella Academy’. It was based on cooperation and respect, which Mr. Blackman cultivates,” the showrunner’s representative commented to The Rolling Stone.
Source: Gazeta
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