T.I. will not reprise his role in the latest Ant-Man movie, according to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. The rapper, born Clifford Harris, played Ant-Man’s friend Dave in the 2015 original film and 2018 sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp. The upcoming third film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, does not have a specific release date and is currently only in development. However, news of his departure comes days after a new group of victims accused the rapper and his wife, Tameka “Tiny†Harris, of a range of allegations including sexual assault, abuse, and drugging, and called for a criminal investigation against the couple in two states. Further, it comes less than 24 hours after the first woman to accuse T.I. of wrongdoing — Atlanta entrepreneur Sabrina Peterson, who alleged the rapper once pulled a gun on her and who publicized the first abuse allegations against the rapper and his wife — filed a defamation lawsuit against T.I. and Tiny, who spoke out against her allegations at the time. Sources told Variety that T.I. was never planned to return to the third film, while The Hollywood Reporter said the relationship between the Ant-Man news and T.I.’s allegations was unclear.
T.I. has denied all allegations of wrongdoing against him. “We are confident that if these claims are thoroughly and fairly investigated, no charges will be forthcoming,†Steve Sadow, a lawyer for the rapper and his wife, told Vulture on March 1 of the new victims. In response to Peterson’s lawsuit, another lawyer for the couple, Andrew Brettler, told Vulture on March 1, “Nothing our clients may have said about her is defamatory.†T.I.’s departure from the Ant-Man series comes after MTV has paused his and his wife’s reality series, T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle, “given the serious nature of the allegations†against the couple.