Guns Akimbo release to go ahead following director's controversial tweets

Daniel Radcliffe's new movie Guns Akimbo will still be released on Friday despite director Jason Lei Howden getting involved in a Twitter scandal.

The future of film, which stars the Harry Potter actor as a video game developer who inadvertently becomes the next participant in a real-life death match that streams online, was cast into doubt when Howden got caught up in a Twitter scandal in which he allegedly targeted film critics of colour who he accused of cyberbullying.

However, representatives at film distributor Saban Films have issued a statement declaring that the movie will still be released in U.S. cinemas on Friday despite the controversy.

"We are releasing Guns Akimbo this Friday, February 28," they told IndieWire on Monday. "While we do not condone, agree or share Mr. Howden's online behaviour, which is upsetting and disturbing, we are supportive of the film and all the hard work and dedication that has gone into making Guns Akimbo."

The controversy started earlier this month when film journalist Dilara Elbir came under fire for using a racial epithet in a private Twitter message. She subsequently posted an apology video which implied a suicide attempt.

Howden then targeted specific writers, particularly women of colour, and accused them of cyberbullying. For example, he tweeted to writer Valerie Complex, "You bullied a woman until she tried to commit suicide, I hope no film site ever works with you again."

He later posted a picture of Complex and another female journalist and tweeted, "These toxic, disgusting 'film writers' bullied Dilara Elbir from Much Ado About Cinema until she attempted suicide Remember their names."

His Twitter account has since been taken down. However, he has been accused of using the official Guns Akimbo Twitter account to continue tweeting the writers.