Roy Price. Image: Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
Roy Price’s resignation comes just days after allegations from an Amazon producer were made public.
Following the revelations about film producer Harvey Weinstein and the general opening up of discussion around sexual harassment in Hollywood, producer Isa Hackett claimed that vice-president of Amazon Studios and studio head of Prime Video, Roy Price, had sexually harassed her on the way to a studio afterparty, making her extremely uncomfortable.
Following Hackett’s story, Amazon executives stated that Price was put on leave “effective immediately”, but the news comes today (18 October) that he has resigned from his role.
Fall from grace
In what Deadline described as “a swift fall from grace”, Price made the decision to leave Amazon after alleged events surrounding Comic-Con San Diego in 2015 were made public by Hackett.
Hackett said that Price had propositioned her in a taxi after a staff dinner for the crew working on The Man in the High Castle, which she was producing at the time. Hackett said she disclosed the incident to Amazon higher-ups almost immediately. The company later said: “We looked closely at this specific concern and addressed it directly with those involved.”
Actor Rose McGowan joined the discussion, saying that Price had known about her rape accusations against Weinstein for a time.
Turbulence at Amazon Studios
It is rumoured that the new recruit for Price’s position could be Amy Powell, president of Paramount TV, or HBO Entertainment president Sue Naegle.
In response to ongoing controversy, Amazon has scrapped a two-season show from David O Russell that was produced by The Weinstein Company. In fact, Amazon has cut all ties with the beleaguered production firm and taken complete control over a series called The Romanoffs, which had originally been commissioned as part of a deal with Weinstein’s outfit.
According to CNN, an event promoting Amazon’s new production slate in London was cancelled in light of Price’s resignation.
The revelation from Price comes as Amazon Studios apparently received new directives from Seattle to overhaul its programming strategy, following a disappointing Primetime Emmy Awards night for the company.
Roy Price. Image: Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
