London theater cancels premiere of Kevin Spacey movie after realizing it’s a Kevin Spacey movie

Low-budget thriller Control quickly found a new venue for its premiere

By Sam Barsanti  |  October 16, 2023 | 8:34pm
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London theater cancels premiere of Kevin Spacey movie after realizing it’s a Kevin Spacey movie
Kevin Spacey Photo: Chris J Ratcliffe

Director Gene Fallaize’s Control will be the first movie to feature Kevin Spacey since he was found not guilty in his sexual assault trial in the United Kingdom, with Fallaize saying back in July that he had no regrets about casting Spacey and would “do it all over again” because he “just seemed like a nice guy” when they were working together. London’s Prince Charles Cinema, however, would probably have preferred it if Fallaize hadn’t even done it the first time, let alone doing it all over again, because it was set to host the premiere of Control until it realized that it was not only a Kevin Spacey movie but Spacey’s first movie since the trial.

As reported by The Telegraph (via Variety), theater owner Greg Lynn sent a message to Control producer and star Lauren Metcalfe that said they had decided to cancel the premiere, explaining, “Last night it came to our attention that your film features Kevin Spacey, in particular his first film since the court case. My staff as well as I are horrified that we are being mentioned in the same breath as his new film for the premiere.”

Variety says that a representative for Metcalfe explained that the world premiere had found a new venue almost immediately, noting that the new theater—Genesis Cinema—is “a much better and more appropriate venue, and one that is happy to be hosting the event.”

One notable element of all of this, and one that possibly speaks to why this was all so unappealing for the Prince Charles Cinema, is that Kevin Spacey—who is doing fine, if you were wondering—isn’t even a major part of Control. He doesn’t physically appear in the film, with just his voice being heard over a phone in the low-budget thriller, which means it’s a part that anyone could’ve played, which means that casting Spacey was a deliberate choice. Now, as clocked by the Prince Charles Cinema, it will always specifically be the first movie that Spacey made after the not guilty verdict in his trial—and it’s a movie where he’s just a voice on the phone.

 
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