The fallout continues to grow for Kevin Spacey as more accusers come forward alleging decades of predatory sexual behaviour from the two-time Oscar winner.
Following Netflix’s announcement that the actor is officially suspended from “House of Cards” and will be shelving his Gore Vidal biopic “Gore”, another of the actor’s high-profile projects is also feeling the fallout from Spacey’s scandal.
As Deadline reports, the Ridley Scott-directed “All the Money in the World” has just been pulled from the prestigious closing slot at the American Film Institute’s annual AFI Fest.
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The film — in which Spacey plays billionaire industrialist John Paul Getty in the real-life story of his grandson’s kidnapping — had been receiving Oscar buzz, which has become exceptionally awkward in the wake of the scandal that erupted after “Star Trek: Discovery” star Anthony Rapp’s allegations that Spacey “was trying to get with [him] sexually” when he was just 14, followed by many more accusations of a similar nature.
The decision to yank “All the Money in the World” from AFI Fest comes from the movie’s studio.
“’All the Money in the World’ is a superb film and more than worthy of its place of honour in the AFI Fest,” Sony/TriStar Pictures said in a statement to Deadline. “But given the current allegations surrounding one of its actors and out of respect for those impacted, it would be inappropriate to celebrate at a gala at this difficult time. Accordingly, the film will be withdrawn.”
As the studio points out, “a film is not the work of one person. There are over 800 other actors, writers, artists, craftspeople and crew who worked tirelessly and ethically on this film, some for years, including one of cinema’s master directors. It would be a gross injustice to punish all of them for the wrongdoings of one supporting actor in the film. Accordingly, the film will open wide as planned on December 22.”
AFI released its own statement on the matter. “AFI Fest celebrates film as a collaborative art form,” reads the statement. “We support Sony’s decision to postpone the premiere in order to ensure the thousands of people who worked together on this film are honoured at a proper time and in a proper light.”