Netflix released a statement on Friday night that they have officially parted ways with House of Cards star Kevin Spacey following allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against the actor.
The streaming service said in the statement that they “will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey.” Netflix also added that they have axed Gore, a Gore Vidal pic starring Spacey that had been in post-production.
Here’s the Netflix statement (h/t: The Hollywood Reporter):
“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,” a spokesperson for the streamer said in a statement. “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.”
Earlier in the week after actor Anthony Rapp alleged that Spacey made unwanted sexual advances towards him when he was 14 years old, Netflix announced that the upcoming sixth season of House of Cards would be the last. That was followed by eight different House of Cards employees confirming to CNN that Spacey created a “toxic work environment through a pattern of sexual harassment.”
The Comeback’s Sean Keeley wrote on Thursday how Netflix needs to end House of Cards now, and with Friday night’s news, that would seem like a very real possibility with Spacey no longer involved. However, Variety reported earlier on Friday that the House of Cards‘ producers are considering killing off Spacey’s character Frank Underwood, and the final season would concentrate on Robin Wright’s character Claire Underwood in this scenario.
It will be interesting to see how the House of Cards situation is handled by Netflix and Media Rights Capital, but one thing we know for sure is that Spacey will no longer be involved, and that’s the right decision by Netflix.
