Kevin Spacey dropped from Gateway To The West movie amid UK lawsuit

Don’t call it a comeback, because it’s not going to be. Kevin Spacey was dropped from Gateway To The West, one of his few projects since being accused of sexual misconduct, according to a Variety report.

“I can indeed [confirm] that Kevin Spacey has been removed from the project,” Galloping Entertainment’s Carlos Alperin said in an email to Entertainment Weekly. “We’ll soon announce who will replace him.”

Spacey, who recently plead not guilty to sexual assault charges in the British court, was set to play a Hungarian holy man who stood in the way of Genghis Khan’s army. It’s unclear what, precisely, the final straw was for Gateway To The West’s producers, given that the current allegations line up with all those previous. Given the timing, the issue presumably lies not in the content of the allegations but the bad press before filming (which begins in October, per Variety), or around the upcoming trial, which will take place in June 2023.

Less concerned with the ongoing bad press are the producers of Peter Five Eight, the rare project to not only cast but stand by Spacey. “There are those who wish for him not to act, but they are outnumbered by fans worldwide who await an artist they have enjoyed for decades returning to the screen,” the producers said in a previous statement to Variety. “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. Peter Five Eight is a film for fans who care more for the art than the scandal.”

It’s surprising to hear that there’s a legion of fans out there who are clamoring for more Spacey after the allegations and those skin-crawling Frank Underwood videos, but these producers sound pretty confident. But will these supposed worldwide fans still show up for their star when he goes to stand trial?