After first sparking backlash following news that a movie about a hitman undergoing forced sex reassignment surgery even exists in 2017, The Assignment — starring Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver — now has a trailer:
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Directed by Walter Hill (The Warriors, 48 Hours), Michelle Rodriguez stars as Frank Kitchen, an experienced hitman who seeks revenge after being forced through an unwanted sex reassignment surgery at the hands of "the doctor" (Sigourney Weaver).
The film, previously titled both (Re)Assignment and Tomboy: A Revenger's Tale, has had people talking since the project was first announced — and not in a good way. LGBT groups and trans activists strongly denounced the film's transphobic storyline.
Rodriguez defended her role in the film shortly after, stating in an Instagram post:
The industry seems to be running low on edgy creativity & ‘real take a chance’ controversy, sometimes it makes me want to scream, instead I did what I always do when I’m bored with the ‘status quo’, I shot crazy b movie Indy to express my frustration.
And now, with a full trailer to cringe through, people have even more to say:
Some pointed out various representational issues with the plotline
Others were left literally speechless:
"Hold on to your hats kids," wrote one Twitter user:
"WOW it looks as bad as expected," tweeted another:
There were some questions to ask, like: "Why?"
"WHAT?"
And, in general, "Really?!"
Still others felt the need to draw a line in the sand for their friends:
To sum up how people are feeling about it:
