Kevin Spacey Just Lost His New Movie
The surprise is he was ever cast in the first place.
After another round of sexual assault accusations, Kevin Spacey is losing out on another movie. Spacey was originally set to star in the upcoming film 1242: Gateway to the West. The film was shopped at the Cannes film market and is a historical drama about Gengis Khan’s armies invading Europe. According to Variety, the movie’s producer Bill Chamberlain revealed that Spacey is being replaced and that negotiations are underway with the new lead.
1242: Gateway to the West would follow a holy man living in a Hungarian castle that is the last obstacle preventing Gengis Khan’s armies, led by grandson Batu, from invading Europe. After the Kingdom of Hungary fell to the army in the Battle of Mohi, the castle Esztergom stood as a stronghold against the invaders. The castle is defended by Eusebius, the canon of Esztergom and a Spanish mercenary. The papal legate, Cardinal Cesareani, also arrives to offer the defenders hope. In the film, Kevin Spacey was set to play the holy man. Péter Soós is directing the film with shooting scheduled to begin in Fall. The budget for the film is estimated to be between $10 million to $25 million and the film is backed by National Film Institute Hungary, Foresight Media, LipSync, Eric Roberts, and Christopher Lambert. Eric Roberts and Christopher Lambert are also set to star in the film.
Kevin Spacey was recently charged by the U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service with four counts of sexual assault and one count of penetrative sexual activity without consent. The U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service went ahead with the charges after reviewing files sent to them by the Metropolitan Police. Spacey served as artistic director at the Old Vic theater in London from 2004-2015. It’s believed that at least some of the charges allegedly occurred during this time. The Old Vic conducted their own investigation, with 20 individuals coming forth with accusations of uncomfortable or sexually inappropriate behavior. Spacey has pled not guilty to all five charges and the case will go to trial in the U.K. on June 6, 2023. Variety reports that the trial is expected to last three to four weeks. This is hardly the first time that Kevin Spacey has faced sexual assault allegations. After Anthony Rapp initially came forth with allegations that Spacey sexually assaulted him when he was 14. Following Rapp’s statement, more than 30 individuals came forth with their own allegations against Spacey.
1242: Gateway to the West also isn’t the first time that Kevin Spacey has lost a role due to his controversies. The actor was fired from the Netflix series House of Cards and replaced by co-star Robin Wright as the lead. He also was recast in the Ridley Scott film All the Money in the World, with Christopher Plummer taking over the role. It appears that Spacey won’t be losing his role in the thriller Peter Five Eight, as the producers of the film seem to be standing by him despite the charges and allegations. The producers released a statement that mostly brushes off the allegations, saying “The production has no knowledge or comment on the various swirling allegations, and believe it’s a matter for the courts to determine validity if it exists.”
