Netflix has cut ties with Kevin Spacey entirely, firing him from the series House of Cards and also dropping the biopic Gore, which starred and was produced by Spacey. Earlier this week, actor Anthony Rapp went public with his story about Spacey sexually assaulting him when Spacey was 26 and Rapp was only 14, which opened a floodgate. Report after report came in about Spacey abusing the men and teenage boys in his proximity. Several men came forward with their own stories about him. Including a few crew members of House of Cards who both experienced and witnessed behavior ranging from inappropriate to criminal.
Netflix has been quick to respond, first by announcing season 6 will be the final season of House of Cards and revealing that spinoffs are in the works – without Spacey. Then production on House of Cards was halted, and a system was put in place for cast and crew to safely make complaints.
[h=4]Now Netflix has released a statement that Spacey has been fired from House of Cards and that his upcoming film Gore won’t be released by the streaming service, despite being nearly completed. Read the statement from a spokesperson for Netflix:[/h]
“Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey. We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show. We have also decided we will not be moving forward with the release of the film Gore, which was in post-production, starring and produced by Kevin Spacey.”
How Frank Underwood will be written out of his own show remains to be seen, though killing the character off has been considered. He has been shot before, and an assassination story would fit the show’s tone well. Since season 5 ended with his wife Claire as acting President, making the series all about her running the country in the wake of her husband’s death could certainly be an interesting solution for House of Cards. Robin Wright’s portrayal of Claire Underwood has been met with praise throughout the show’s run, and the character has grown in power and visibility right alongside her husband. In fact, considering that the previous season ended with Frank threatening to kill Claire if she betrayed him, maybe it could be the other way around and she could be the person behind eliminating him. Though if Frank is killed, it will certainly be done either off screen or using a double and CGI, and not with Spacey himself present.
As for Gore, the movie has completed filming. As the press release states, it’s in post-production, which means the movie is being edited and cleaned up before becoming available to the public. It tells the story of real life American writer Gore Vidal meeting and influencing a young man intellectually. Aside from Netflix clearly wanting to keep their other employees safe, the plot of the movie sounds a little too close to home considering the stories that Spacey’s accusers have been sharing.
[h=2]Source: Netflix[/h]
