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Don’t Worry Darling is already the hottest title of the moment, and it’s not even out yet — there’s just been enough drama outside of the film to create another movie entirely. After Olivia Wilde revealed some new details surrounding Shia LaBeouf‘s exit from her upcoming film, he’s hitting back at her allegations with claims of his own, denying he was fired from the movie and insisting he intentionally left.

A little background, if you’re not familiar (or just struggling to keep up with this film’s twisty press tour): LaBeouf was originally cast as the male lead, Jack Chambers, in Don’t Worry Darling, but left due to a scheduling conflict just as production was beginning in 2020 — or that’s what the studio used as an excuse, anyway. Harry Styles was then hired to replace LaBeouf.

Wilde told Variety in a Wednesday (Aug. 24) cover story that she fired LaBeouf from her film, and while he declined to comment to the publication before her interview was published, LaBeouf shared an email statement with Variety just a day later, insisting in a Thursday (Aug. 25) message that he was not fired by Wilde but “quit the film due to lack of rehearsal time” on Aug. 17, 2020.

He also shared two emails with Variety which he allegedly sent to Wilde on Wednesday and Thursday following the publication of her cover story. He wrote, “You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors and I couldn’t find time to rehearse.”

He later added, “Firing me never took place, Olivia. And while I fully understand the attractiveness of pushing that story because of the current social landscape, the social currency that brings. It is not the truth. So I am humbly asking, as a person with an eye toward making things right, that you correct the narrative as best you can. I hope none of this negatively effects you, and that your film is successful in all the ways you want it to be.”

Along with this email to Wilde, LaBeouf also shared with Variety a video allegedly sent to him by Wilde two days after he says he quit her movie. The clip, in which Wilde appears to address LaBeouf’s departure, also fuels rumors of tension between herself and Florence Pugh, who plays Don’t Worry Darling‘s Alice, Jack’s wife.

“I feel like I’m not ready to give up on this yet, and I too am heartbroken and I want to figure this out,” Wilde says in the video. “You know, I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re open to giving this a shot with me, with us.

“If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace — and I respect your point of view, I respect hers — but if you guys can do it, what do you think?” she asks. “Is there hope? Will you let me know?”

LaBeouf’s story contradicts what Wilde told Variety. The director said she admired his work, but added, “his process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions.” Wilde also claimed she fired LaBeouf to keep her actors safe, specifically Pugh.

“[F]or our film, what we really needed was an energy that was incredibly supportive,” she told Variety. “Particularly with a movie like this, I knew that I was going to be asking Florence to be in very vulnerable situations, and my priority was making her feel safe and making her feel supported.”

Don’t Worry Darling premieres in theaters Sept. 23.