Trans actress upset with Scarlett Johansson, plus more movie news

WHO Scarlett Johansson

THE MOVIE “Rub & Tug”

THE DEAL After an outcry from the transgender community, the actress bowed out of a film in which she would have played Dante “Tex” Gill, a transgender man who ran a massage parlor and prostitution ring in the 1970s and '80s. Johansson’s recusal and public apology, however, are not enough for trans actress Alexandra Billings. In a roundtable discussion for Variety, Billings accused Johansson of doing “serious damage” to the trans community, apologizing too late and not helping trans actors. “What portals can she, Scarlett Johansson, open to provide a healing space?” Billings asked. According to reports, production of “Rub & Tug” is in limbo.

WHO Johnny Depp

THE MOVIE “City of Lies”

THE DEAL The actor’s latest film has been shelved just a month from release. “City of Lies” stars Depp as a retired Los Angeles police detective who teams up with a journalist (Forest Whitaker) to reinvestigate the shooting death of rapper Notorious B.I.G. The film was due in theaters Sept. 7 but now has no release date, according to several reports. Depp has suffered a spate of negative publicity stemming from his divorce from Amber Heard, legal battles with his former management and a lawsuit from a “City of Lies” location manager who claims Depp punched him on the set.

THE MOVIE “Rockaway”

THE DEAL John Budion’s semiautobiographical film about growing up on the South Shore picked up two more awards earlier this week from the Long Beach International Film Festival. Set in Budion’s hometown of East Rockaway, and largely filmed there, “Rockaway” stars Maxwell Apple and Keidrich Sellati as young brothers who plot revenge against an abusive father. The film has screened at six festivals and has walked away with an award each time; it earned best picture and best director at Long Beach. “Rockaway” is also in competition at the Jersey Shore Film Festival, which ends Sunday.