Netflix announced Friday that it will not continue with the popular drama series “House of Cards” if it involves actor Kevin Spacey, who is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. The company has also canceled the release of “Gore.”
The company said in a statement late on Friday that it will continue to work with Media Rights Capital – the company that produces “House of Cards” – as it determines how to move forward. Production for the show’s sixth and final season had already been put on hold indefinitely.
“Netflix will not be involved with any further production of ‘House of Cards’ that includes Kevin Spacey,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement. “We will continue to work with [Media Rights Capital] during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show.”
Additionally, Netflix has also decided to cancel the release of “Gore,” a biographical drama film that was scheduled to be released in 2018. It stars Spacey as Gore Vidal, who teaches a young fan about life, love, and politics.
Spacey, who stars as Frank Underwood in “House of Cards,” has been under fire since “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp accused him of making a sexual advance in 1986, when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26. Additional allegations have emerged over the past few days.
A day after Rapp’s accusation, Netflix announced that “House of Cards” would end after the upcoming season, but sources at the company said the decision to end the series had actually been made months ago. On Tuesday, Netflix said that production of the final season had been put on hold indefinitely.
Rapp said in an interview with BuzzFeed that Spacey befriended him while they both performed on Broadway shows in the mid-1980s. Spacey is accused of placing the 14-year-old actor on a bed, climbing on top of him, and making a sexual advance after a party at Spacey’s apartment.
In a statement released earlier this week, Spacey said he was “beyond horrified” to hear Rapp’s allegation and claimed he did not remember the encounter. “If I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior,” he said.
The actor went on to reveal that he is bisexual and has had relationships with both men and women, but that he now chooses to live as a gay man. Spacey’s inclusion of his sexual orientation, which he had declined to discuss for decades, prompted further anger.
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