Even before Olivia Wilde's second directorial project Don't Worry Darling is set to release in theaters on Sept. 23, it has become an internet obsession with its increasingly messy behind-the-scenes drama.
Rising tensions between Wilde and the movie's star, Florence Pugh, have been bubbling for months, finally leading to speculation of a full-on fallout between them, with Pugh reportedly limiting her promotional press appearances for the film.
The period drama and sci-fi thriller also features Chris Pine, Nick Kroll, and Gemma Chan. It will also be Harry Styles' debut leading film role after he replaced Shia LaBoeuf - who is now also beefing with Wilde over the circumstances of his departure.
Fans had noticed apparent tension between Pugh and Wilde early on, particularly as Pugh has barely promoted the film on her personal social media, and the two women have disagreed on the film's marketing choices.
With much of the attention in the film's publicity focusing on a steamy sex scene between Styles and Pugh, Wilde previously told Vogue that she wanted the audience to "realize how rarely they see female hunger, and specifically this type of female pleasure."
But Pugh felt differently, telling Harper's Bazaar, "When it's reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it's not why we do it. It's not why I'm in this industry."
And all the back and forth has finally culminated in reports Friday that Pugh will not be doing any additional press for Don't Worry Darling outside of the film's premier at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 5.
Naturally, the internet's obsession with every moment of this feud has resulted in all the memes and jokes.
LaBeouf and Wilde are also embroiled in a back-and-forth of their own with LaBeouf releasing private emails, videos, and texts between him and Wilde to counter her claims that she fired him from the movie to "protect the cast" from his "combative energy."LaBeouf then told Variety that he quit because the actors were not given enough rehearsal time.
"You and I both know the reasons for my exit," LaBeouf wrote to Wilde in an email he shared with Variety. "I quit your film because your actors and I couldn't find time to rehearse."
LaBeouf also shared a video with Variety that Wilde allegedly sent him in 2020 where she appears to refer to tensions between LaBeouf and Pugh and suggests that the two stars should "make peace" with each other.
The purported video was shared online, in which Wilde says, "I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo," referring to Pugh. "If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace," Wilde says in the video.
Styles, who has been romantically linked to Wilde since 2020, has also become the subject of internet memes as fans reacted to his "bizarre" accent in the movie.
While Wilde has also addressed accusations of a pay disparity between Pugh and Styles, the subject of her romantic relationship with Styles was rumored to contribute to Pugh's unhappiness on set and her apparent feud with the director. Wilde faced backlash online from some who questioned Styles' lack of acting experience.
Don't Worry Darling has also been intertwined with other events of Wilde's personal life as she was served custody papers from her ex-husband Jason Sudeikis while promoting the film onstage. Sudeikis appeared in Wilde's first directorial debut, Booksmart.
A representative for Sudeikis previously said that he had "had no prior knowledge of the time or place that the envelope would have been delivered" and that "he would never condone her being served in such an inappropriate manner."
Incredibly, the film's other actor Chris Pine has somehow managed to steer clear of the spectacle.