Armie Hammer, the embattled actor who was accused of sexual abuse in early 2021, is the focus of an upcoming Discovery+ documentary that also delves into his family history.
The three-part series “House of Hammer” examines allegations against Hammer – which he has firmly and repeatedly denied through lawyers – including messages he allegedly sent to women about his cannibalistic fantasies and sexual fetishes, which his accusers describe as abusive.
An explosive trailer released by Discovery on Wednesday shows two of Hammer’s alleged victims conducting on-camera interviews, sharing screenshots of messages and audio of voice memos they allegedly received from the actor.
“I dream of someone showing their love and devotion and tying him up at night in a public place and giving his body away,” says an alleged message from Hammer.
Hammer is also said to have said in a voice memo played in the trailer, “My bet would be to show up at your house and completely tie you up and incapacitate you and be able to do whatever with anyone.” I wanted hole in your body until I was done with you.”
The documentary also features a message in which Hammer allegedly wrote to a woman that he was “100% a cannibal,” and a handwritten note that reads, “I’m gonna bite the fuck out of you.”
The document was co-produced with Casey Hammer, Armie Hammer’s aunt and granddaughter of Armand Hammer, the businessman who made the family fortune in the oil business. Casey Hammer signed a deal before the project was shopped around town before eventually ending up on Discovery’s streaming service. She officially served as an advisor alongside directors Elli Hakami and Julian P. Hobbs.
“I’m about to unveil the dark, twisted secrets of the Hammer family,” says Casey Hammer in the trailer.
Armie Hammer’s recent headline-grabbing controversy isn’t the only one plaguing the remarkable family. In 1920, the actor’s great-great-grandfather, Julius Hammer, was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter after a jury found him guilty of the death of a Russian diplomat’s wife, whom he had aborted. In 1955, Julian Hammer, son of Armand Hammer, killed a man at his Los Angeles home for gambling debts, but claimed self-defense and the charges were dismissed.
In 2015, Casey Hammer self-published a book called Surviving My Birthright, in which she claimed her father Julian sexually abused her as a child.
As for Hammer, the actor’s downfall came during the pandemic, as alleged messages he’d been sending to women surfaced on social media and then escalated into a continuous media story. Through screenshots of messages allegedly describing his cannibalistic fetishes, he was first accused of sexual abuse in early 2021. A woman, represented by attorney Gloria Allred, accused Hammer of rape, prompting the LAPD to conduct an investigation.
Hammer has firmly denied all allegations of sexual abuse, saying all interactions with the women were consensual. At the time of the rape allegation, Hammer’s attorney, Andrew Brettler, said in a statement to Variety, “From day one, Mr. Hammer has maintained that all of his interactions” with each sexual partner “were entirely consensual, discussed, and agreed upon, prearranged, and mutually involved.”
The allegations caused Hammer’s Hollywood career to take a nosedive when the actor was dropped from his agency, WME, after being cut from a slew of projects including Jennifer Lopez’s romantic comedy Shotgun Wedding; the thriller Billion Dollar Spy; the Broadway play The Minutes; and the Paramount Plus series The Offer, about the making of The Godfather. Hammer, who rose to fame with The Social Network and Call Me By Your Name, was last seen in Disney’s Death on the Nile, which he filmed before the scandal.
With no projects in sight, earlier this summer he was spotted selling timeshares at a resort in the Cayman Islands, where he has lived with his estranged wife and two young children for much of the pandemic. A source has told Variety that Hammer is out of rehab. Last month, Vanity Fair, which previously published an synopsis of the Hammer family, reported that Robert Downey Jr., who has been through recovery himself, has been supporting Hammer and paying for his six months in rehab. (At the time, a representative for Downey Jr. did not respond to Variety regarding this report.)
In a statement, a Discovery executive teased “disturbing details” and “sinister secrets” that will be revealed in the docuseries.
“The allegations of rape and abuse that have been leveled against Armie Hammer in recent years are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Hammer family,” said Jason Sarlanis, president of crime and investigative content, linear and streaming. “With ‘House of Hammer’ we witness truly disturbing details and dark secrets that money and power couldn’t hide forever. This documentary provides an important platform for the incredibly brave women who have come forward to share their stories, and we hope their bravery inspires others to continue meaningful conversations about abuse in our society.”
“House of Hammer” premieres on September 2nd on Discovery+.
Check out the full trailer below: