Gods and Secrets (lost Mark Salling scenes of Netflix superhero series; 2015)

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Mark Salling on set for Gods and Secrets.

Status: Lost

Gods and Secrets was the original title of the Netflix superhero series The Guardians of Justice. Established by Adi Shankar, filming for the show had begun in July 2015 with the episodes released in March 2022. Among the actors originally cast for the series was Glee star Mark Salling, who was set to portray a supervillain. However, Salling was charged in May 2016 for possession of over 54,000 instances of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Consequently, his scenes were promptly removed from the show.

Background

Gods and Secrets was first announced in July 2015.[1] Directed by Adi Shankar, the show underwent a long development period with its name quietly changed to The Guardians of Justice by 2021.[2] Among the cast members initially announced included former professional wrestler Diamond Dallas Page and Twilight Saga actor Jackson Rathbone.[1] In September 2015, more of the cast was revealed, including former Glee actors Josh Sussman and Mark Salling.[3] Salling rose to fame via his portrayal of Noah "Puck" Puckerman in Glee.[4] However, Gods and Secrets was reported as his "comeback";[5][6] aside from his struggles obtaining roles post-Glee,[7] his role on the Fox show had already been toned down by Season 5.[8] Since then, Salling had only managed to secure work for the 2014 television film Rocky Road.[9][7] In a March 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Salling discussed that he had spent two years producing a musical pilot soon to be pitched to television executives.[10]

Salling portrayed a tortured supervillain in Gods and Secrets.[11][12][13] TMZ acquired two photographs of Salling during filming. The first depicted his battered character with saw blades protruding from his head and throat, and a metal cage embedded on his chest. The other featured him lying down on a table.[11][13] According to TMZ, Salling received praise for carrying out a "brilliant" crying scene.[5] Filming for Salling's Gods and Secrets scenes had concluded by December 2015.[5][12] Overall production for the project had reached the halfway mark.[14]

Arrest, Recasting and Suicide

Salling's career appeared to be in recovery.[5][6] Two years before filming for Gods and Secrets, Salling was accused by former partner Roxanne Gorzela of "stealthing" during initially consensual sexual intercourse.[15][16] Stealthing or non-consensual condom removal involves a person taking off or opting not to wear a condom without their partner's permission during sexual activities. This action makes the subsequent intercourse a type of sexual battery.[17] In the legal case that followed, Salling's insurance company State Farm was forced to pay over $2.7 million in damages to Gorzela.[16] The lawsuit temporarily damaged Salling's career, thus making his lead role in Gods and Secrets a significant opportunity to revive it.[7]

But weeks following the end of filming, the Los Angeles Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a disturbing tip-off concerning Salling's behaviour.[18][19][20] In a police interview with a former girlfriend, the LAPD were informed that Salling was allegedly possessing CSAM on his laptop and other electronic devices.[19][7] On 26th December 2015, the LAPD arrested Salling and conducted a search warrant.[21][22][23] The actor, caught off-guard,[19] had made the operation difficult by initially blocking police access into his home. Thus, officers used a battering ram to force entry.[22][7] During his arrest, Salling also refused to impart any passwords guarding his devices.[22] The LAPD nevertheless bypassed Salling's security measures via a mobile forensic lab.[22][18] There, they uncovered over 54,000 images and videos of CSAM on his devices, involving victims as young as three years old.[24][23][21] Salling had downloaded the depraved content between April and December of 2015, as well as a CSA instruction manual.[23][21] On two occasions, Salling had also allegedly shown some of the images to the ex-girlfriend during sexual encounters, prompting her to report his actions to the police.[21][23][7]

Salling immediately posted a $20,000 bail.[20] Upon hearing of his arrest, producers considered removing him from Gods and Secrets.[5][6] On 30th December 2015, Shankar informed US Weekly that, to avoid a regretful decision fuelled by cancel culture, Salling's scenes would provisionally remain in the mini-series unless he was indicted.[25][12] On 29th May 2016, Salling was charged with two counts, both relating to receiving and possessing CSAM.[26] True to his word, Shankar promptly announced the expungement of Salling's scenes. He promised to reallocate a portion of Gods and Secrets' profit to a children's charity and intended to personally finance the mandatory restart of filming.[27] In July 2017, it was reported Brigitte Nielsen had officially replaced Salling.[14] She portrayed Queen Anubis,[28] who was described as a "modified version" of Salling's character.[14] The re-shooting explained the project's long production period, as Shankar was required to bring back the other actors to finally complete filming.[14] All seven episodes were eventually released to Netflix on 1st March 2022 under the new title of The Guardians of Justice.[29]

Meanwhile, Salling initially pleaded not guilty to the charges.[30] But on 3rd October 2017, Salling agreed to a plea deal.[31][32][21] It was reported that Salling had tried to negotiate a non-custodial sentence, but this was refused by the prosecutor.[33] The deal nevertheless ensured he would only receive 4-7 years of prison time instead of a maximum of twenty.[31][32] Additionally, the actor faced 20 years of supervised release, would pay each victim $50,000 in restitution costs, register as a sex offender and undergo sex offender treatment.[31][32][21] Salling's sentence was to have been set on 7th March 2018.[34] Ultimately, Salling never served his sentence; on 30th January 2018, the actor was found dead in Sunland, Los Angeles, having hung himself at the age of 35.[35][34] Salling had reportedly secluded himself in his final days.[36]

Availability

Salling's scenes for Gods and Secrets were fully replaced with a re-shoot featuring Nielsen.[14] Shankar's comments following Salling's indictment indicated the deleted scenes would never be publicly released out of respect to the actor's victims.[27] As a result, the two photographs acquired by TMZ are likely to remain the only viewable remnants.[11]

Gallery

Images

  • Salling during filming of a scene.

    Salling during filming of a scene.

Videos

dreading (crime and psychology) documenting the life and crimes of Salling.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Deadline reporting on the commissioning of Gods and Secrets. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  2. ↑ ComicBook preview of The Guardians of Justice, which was renamed from Gods and Secrets. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  3. ↑ The Wrap reporting on Salling being included in the cast of Gods and Secrets. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  4. ↑ The Washington Post documenting Salling's career up until his arrest. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 TMZ reporting on Salling's role in Gods and Secrets being potentially cut following his arrest, and noting he had recorded a "brilliant" crying scene. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 The Daily Mirror reporting on Salling's arrest and his Gods and Secret role being in jeopardy as a result. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 dreading (crime and psychology) documenting the life and crimes of Salling. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  8. ↑ TVLine reporting that Salling's role in Glee would be toned down from Season 5 onwards. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  9. ↑ Pop City Life interview with Salling on Rocky Road. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  10. ↑ The Hollywood Reporter reporting on Salling's comments about pitching a new musical pilot. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 TMZ providing two photographs of Salling during filming for Gods and Secrets. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 The Hollywood Reporter reporting on Shankar's initial comments following Salling's arrest. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Daily Mail reporting on the two photos of Salling in Gods and Secrets being released following his arrest. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Variety reporting on Nielsen replacing Salling in Gods and Secrets. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  15. ↑ US Magazine reporting on Gorzela sueing Salling over sexual battery. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 TMZ reporting on Salling's insurance company being required to pay $2.7 million to Gorzela. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  17. ↑ Rape Crisis England & Wales explaining the illegal practice of stealthing. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Newsweek reporting on Salling's arrest and how police were able to access his devices via a mobile forensic lab. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 TMZ reporting on updates surrounding Salling's arrest, including via a tip-off by an ex-girlfriend. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 The Hollywood Reporter reporting on Salling's arrest and his $20,000 bail. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 Court documents obtained by Deadline concerning Salling agreeing to a plea deal. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Crime Watch Daily breaking the news regarding Salling's arrest for CSAM possession. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 Sky News reporting on some of the key findings in the court documents. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  24. ↑ The Guardian reporting on Salling pleading guilty to the charges. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  25. ↑ US Weekly reporting on Shankar's statement regarding Salling's arrest. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  26. ↑ BBC News reporting on Salling being charged with CSAM possession. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 The Wrap providing Shankar's full statement confirming he would remove Salling from Gods and Secrets. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  28. ↑ Paste Magazine noting Nielsen portrayed Queen Anubis in Gods and Secrets. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  29. ↑ What's On Netflix reporting on The Guardians of Justice being set for a Netflix release on 1st March 2022. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  30. ↑ Independent reporting on Salling pleading not guilty to the charges. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 The Guardian reporting on Salling pleading guilty. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 BBC News reporting on Salling accepting a plea deal over the CSAM charges. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  33. ↑ Inquisitr reporting on Salling agreeing to a plea deal involving prison time. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 BBC News reporting on the death of Salling. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  35. ↑ USA Today reporting on the confirmation that Salling committed suicide. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
  36. ↑ People reporting on Salling isolating himself in his final days. Retrieved 26th Oct '24
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