Simon Pegg stuns guests during London Literary Festival Q&A after swearing at a female fan for demanding Hot Fuzz sequel: ‘It was uncalled for’

A potty-mouthed Simon Pegg left a crowd stunned at the London Literary Festival after telling off a female fan for trying to coax him into breaching rules for the Hollywood actors strike.

The Mission: Impossible star had initially issued a stern warning while hosting a Q&A for actor and close friend Nick Frost’s new book A Slice Of Fried Gold: Taste My Memories, at the Royal Festival Hall.

Pegg, 53, told the audience: ‘Due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike Nick won’t be able to answer any questions regarding his film and television work.’

Then, in response to a woman calling out ‘Hot Fuzz 2!’ in reference to the longed-for sequel to Pegg and Frost’s 2007 hit comedy action film Hot Fuzz, he responded: ‘F*** you! What did I just say?’

An audience member told the Daily Mail: ‘It was a bit uncalled for. We know he has to take the strikes seriously, but there was no need for him to use such an expletive at that poor fan.’

Unexpected: Simon Pegg left a crowd stunned at the London Literary Festival after telling off a female fan for trying to coax him into breaching rules for the Hollywood actors strike

Not happy: The actor snapped when the fan suggested he film a sequel to Hot Fuzz (pictured)

While writers are busy back at work after ending their strike, there is no end in sight for actors.

Their talks abruptly ended on October 11 when studios walked away from the negotiating table saying the two sides were too far apart to go on.

The prolonged strike, which began on July 14, means films and TV shows will remain sidelined indefinitely, and it is already starting to affect the upcoming awards season. 

Negotiations between media companies and the union representing striking U.S. actors will restart on October 24, the two sides said in a joint statement on Saturday.

Talks broke down last week as the sides clashed over streaming revenue and the use of artificial intelligence. The strike has disrupted film and television production, leaving thousands of crew members without work as well as the actors.

The union is seeking a deal with the Alliance for Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which negotiates on behalf of studios.

The eighth installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, in which Pegg stars alongside Tom Cruise, has been postponed for a year, signaling further release schedule headaches for Hollywood studios as the actors strike surpasses three months of work stoppage.

Paramount Pictures on Monday shifted the release date of the next Mission: Impossible from June 28 to May 23, 2025. 

Ongoing dispute: While writers are busy back at work after ending their strike, there is no end in sight for actors (pictured: Actress Hilary Duff on the picket line)

Loggerheads: Their talks abruptly ended on October 11 when studios walked away from the negotiating table saying the two sides were too far apart to go on

Production on the follow-up to Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One was paused in July while Tom Cruise and his co-stars embarked on an international promotion blitz. 

The sequel had been titled Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two but is now simply listed currently as Mission: Impossible.

Paramount also announced Monday that A Quiet Place: Day One, a prequel to the post-apocalyptic horror series starring Lupita Nyong´o, will have its release pushed from March to when Dead Reckoning had originally been scheduled to open, on June 28. 

Source: Read Full Article