When Bryan Singer was accused of alleged sexual abuse in April 2014, Fox had to quickly revamp its marketing campaign for Singer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. The director stopped doing press and then didn’t attend the film’s world premiere.
Sony’s TriStar is facing a similar dilemma as it gears up for the release of All the Money in the World, starring Kevin Spacey, Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams. Spacey has become the latest Hollywood power player to be engulfed in sexual assault scandal, making it difficult for him to make appearances on behalf of the movie.
All the Money in the World will hit theaters December 22, at the height of the awards season, after making its world premiere at the AFI Fest on November 16.
Ridley Scott’s film concerns the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III. Spacey plays the teen’s grandfather, billionaire J. Paul Getty.
An AFI spokesman said that the festival’s schedule is locked and there won’t be any changes.
Sony declined comment regarding Spacey’s participation in the film’s marketing campaign. The good news for the studio is that Wahlberg and Williams are major stars, and Scott is a marquee, multiple Oscar nominated director.
Sony also has 7 weeks before the pic’s release, if it decides to change the advertising materials.
On Sunday night, Spacey tweeted his “sincerest apology” to Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp, who hours earlier alleged that Spacey made a pass at him when Rapp was 14 years old.
Spacey has come under intense criticism for using the statement, in which he said he didn’t remember the incident, to come out as a gay man. GLAAD said Monday in a statement that “coming-out stories should not be used to deflect from allegations of sexual assault.”
Meanwhile, actor Zachary Quinto tweeted it was a “calculated manipulation to deflect attention from a very serious accusation.”
GLAAD also said: “The market will soon tell us if they are able to stomach Spacey on the big screen, but his response to Anthony Rapp’s allegations has been met with sweeping outrage and is the latest signal that the public wants to see major change and accountability in Hollywood.”
In 2014, Singer’s career recovered when his accuser, Michael Egan, dropped his lawsuit alleging that Singer had abused him.
Career Impact
How will Spacey’s career be impacted by Hollywood’s latest sex scandal.
Netflix announced that House of Cards, the acclaimed series starring Spacey as U.S. president Frank Underwood, will end with the sixth season, which is now in production. The decision to end the show was already in the works, but Netflix and House of Cards producer Media Rights Capital issued a statement saying they are “deeply troubled” by the allegations made against Spacey, who is also an executive producer.
“In response to last night’s revelations, executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported. As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is not working on set at this time,” the statement said.
Spacey as Gore Vidal
Netflix is also the producer of Gore, starring Spacey as the late openly gay author Gore Vidal. The original movie, which is shooting in Europe, also stars Griffin Dunne, Douglas Booth and Michael Stuhlberg, who plays Gore’s longtime companion. Netflix is planning a 2018 release.
Billionaire Boys Club
Spacey also plays a supporting role in the indie movie Billionaire Boys Club, now in postproduction but which doesn’t have a U.S. distributor yet.
