BY GEOFF WEISS
The fallout for Logan Paul continues, following a video last month in which he cavalierly vlogged an apparently hanged man’s body in a Japanese forest known to be the site of many suicides.
French digital media network Blackpills axed a series on Thursday that was in the works with both Paul and the mobile-first entertainment studio Cupertino Productions. While little is known about the project, first announced in Dec. 2016 and slated to premiere this year, Paul was set to create, produce, and star in the short-form series. “Logan Paul’s previously announced project with Blackpills is no longer in development, and Blackpills will not be pursuing it at any time in the future,” the production company and app told Variety in a statement.
Blackpills has collaborated with other social media stars, like Christian DelGrosso and DeStorm Power, on original series as well.
YouTube severed ties with Paul on Wednesday, removing him from its lucrative Google Preferred ad tier, writing him off of the YouTube Red series Foursome, and also putting a sequel to Paul’s YouTube Red movie The Thinning on hold.
That said, Paul still appears to be repped by his agency, CAA, and his multi-channel network, Studio 71, according to Variety, and TMZ reports that he will be keeping his role in a Jeffrey Reddick-directed horror film entitled Superstition: The Rule of 3’s—for now.
Top creators applauded YouTube’s handling of the controversy—although the company swung its gavel a week and a half after the vlog in question was posted. Amid the Paul flap-up and other brand safety concerns, YouTube is reportedly reimagining its Google Preferred ad package, and will henceforth vet channels using human and technological moderation.
