‘Venom’ & ‘Birds of Prey’ Cinematographer Arrested For Allegedly Assaulting Public Officials

Venom Tom Hardy Birds of Prey

Venom and future Birds of Prey cinematographer Matthew Libatique was arrested in Poland on Tuesday for an alleged attack on public officials.

Libatique was the cinematographer for both of Jon Favreau’s Iron Man films and most recently shot A Star is Born, Venom, and is set for Cathy Yan’s upcoming Birds of Prey film, which begins production early next year. According to TVN24, the cinematographer was arrested in Bydgoszcz, Poland on Tuesday for allegedly attacking public officials. The cinematographer was supposedly “staggering” outside his hotel, which prompted him to start attacking paramedics and police officers. Krzysztof Wisniewski, an emergency official who spoke to the Polish outlet said:

“The patient suddenly became aggressive toward medical rescuers, used offensive words and hit the head of the emergency medical team.”

Wisniewski claims the paramedics suffered injuries from Libatique, which included a broken tooth. The official says the cinematographer also attacked police officers once they arrived at the scene. The Camerimage Film Festival went on to release a statement on the matter:

“Mr. Libatique was involved in an alleged incident that led to his detention and being held on a potential charge of assaulting a police officer and a paramedic here in Bydgoszcz. This is now a legal matter that the festival is not in a position to discuss. We can make no further comments at this time.”

TVN24 speculates Libatique could face two assault charges and be detained in Poland for three months. Libatique could face up to three years in prison if he is found guilty for assaulting a public official on duty.

Details on the Birds of Prey plot are currently unknown, though the film will center around the titular team of female heroes and villains based on the DC Comics characters and concepts created by Jordan B. Gorfinkel and Chuck Dixon. Birds of Prey will also feature Batman villain Black Mask as the main antagonist of the film.

Directed by Cathy Yan from a script penned by Bumblebee writer Christina Hodson, Birds of Prey stars Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya, and Ewan McGregor as Black Mask. Production on the project is expected to begin this January.

The untitled Birds of Prey film will be released in theaters on February 7, 2020.

Source: TVN24

Ryden Scarnato

Ryden Scarnato

Ryden's affection for all things DC, Marvel, and Star Wars has led him to entertainment journalism at Heroic Hollywood as a News Editor.