Stan Lee’s former assistant has made a film highlighting the elder abuse he suffered from his inner circle in the final years of his life.
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A totemic figure in the world of comic books, Lee is famous for being Marvel Comics’ creative leader for two decades and helping create many of its most famous characters. Later in his life, he was known for his signature cameos in comic book movies, both before and after the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He died in November 2018, aged 95. Prior to his death, an article by The Hollywood Reporter claimed Lee was the victim of elder abuse at the hands of Keya Morgan, his business manager.
In August 2018, a restraining order was issued against Morgan, keeping him away from Lee and his associates. In a statement to Variety at the time, Morgan denied the accusations made against him.
In May 2019, The Los Angeles Superior Court confirmed that Morgan was charged in May 2019 with five counts of abuse for events that had occurred in mid-2018.
Jon Bolerjack took from hundreds of hours of footage taken from following Lee around the world for his new film Stan Lee: The Final Chapter, a secret project revealed on Kickstarter today (March 12). The crowdfunding campaign is looking for £232,143 in backing to “finish the film, and finally get justice for Stan”.
The pitch video for the campaign begins with the filmmaker saying: “My name is Jon Bolerjack, and for the last four years of Stan Lee’s life I was his assistant, his confidant, but most importantly, his friend. I travelled the world with him, witnessing first hand the incredible highs of his legendary career, but also the heartbreaking lows”.
He continued: “Stan spent his final years enduring this treatment, manipulation, and betrayal, at the hands of a few very bad actors. At the time, I didn’t have the power to stop it. But I did have a camera, and I filmed everything”. The film shows Stan Lee suffering from fatigue from long hours of convention appearances and signings, as well as being told what to do by an unnamed figure.
The video also promises firsthand accounts backing his claims, from comic book legends such a Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld and former Marvel Comic Editor Roy Thomas. It then shows testimony from comic book writers who have seen the film and profess their shock at what they saw.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Bolerjack said: “A lot of things have happened to him, but I didn’t get the real sense that he felt shame about it. I think he wanted it out there to be that sort of warning”.