Kevin Spacey cut from Ridley Scott's new film just weeks before release
Oscar-winner Christopher Plummer will replace Spacey in All the Money in the World
Actor Kevin Spacey has been cut from Ridley Scott’s new film, All the Money in the World, just six weeks before the movie's cinema release.
Following the allegations of sexual harassment made against Spacey, Variety reports that Scott is reshooting scenes with Christopher Plummer replacing Spacey in the role of oil tycoon John Paul Getty.
It was reported earlier this week that All the Money in the World had been withdrawn from the American Film Institute's (AFI) annual festival in LA.
The release is planned to go ahead as scheduled on 22nd December in the US, and Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams – who also star in the movie – are expected to be part of the reshooting.
According to Variety, there were numerous scenes in the original edit where Spacey was the only person on screen, and he spent two weeks shooting the film.
A writer for The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Plummer was actually the original favourite for the role, but that Spacey was cast after Sony executive Tom Rothman called for a bigger name.
All the Money in the World chronicles the 1973 kidnapping of John Paul Getty’s grandson, and the oil tycoon's reluctance to cough up the $17 million ransom.
Spacey appears in the original trailer as the "richest man in the history of the world", wearing prosthetics.
The first allegation of sexual advances was made by actor Anthony Rapp last month, who accused Spacey of trying to seduce him aged 14. Since then eight House of Cards employees have accused Spacey of sexual harassment and many others have come forward reporting the actor’s predatory behaviour. The allegations span from the mid-1980s to 2016.
In response to Rapp's claims, Spacey said he had no recollection of the incident and apologised.
More recently, Spacey's representatives have said he is seeking unspecified treatment. Netflix has cancelled House of Cards and has confirmed that a movie starring and produced by Spacey will not be released. The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has reversed its decision to give the actor a special Emmy award, and his agent and publicist have dropped him as a client.