Disgraced Hollywood star Kevin Spacey’s film “Billionaire Boys Club” will get a theatrical release this summer, despite his exile from the entertainment community, the film’s distributor told TheWrap on Monday.
The film, which was shot before Spacey’s #MeToo scandal hit last November, will see a digital and VOD rollout on July 17 followed by a limited theatrical run beginning Aug. 17. It’s fate in North America was up for debate last week after an international trailer from Malaysian distributor TGV Pictures hit the web.
“We hope these distressing allegations pertaining to one person’s behavior — that were not publicly known when the film was made almost 2.5 years ago — do not tarnish the release,” a statement to TheWrap from indie distributor Vertical Entertainment said.
“We don’t condone sexual harassment on any level and we fully support victims of it. At the same time, this is neither an easy nor insensitive decision to release this film in theaters, but we believe in giving the cast, as well as hundreds of crew members who worked hard on the film, the chance to see their final product reach audiences,” the statement continued.
Spacey was fired from his Netflix series “House of Cards” and written out of the show’s upcoming final season. He was also entirely replaced in the completed Ridley Scott film “All the Money in the World” by actor Christopher Plummer, after Spacey was accused of sexual assault and misconduct by numerous men (many of whom reported they were underage at the time of the incidents).
“In the end, we hope audiences make up their own minds as to the reprehensible allegations of one person’s past, but not at the expense of the entire cast and crew present on this film,” Vertical Entertainment concluded.
“Billionaire Boys Club” stars some of the biggest names in young Hollywood, including Ansel Elgort, Taron Egerton, Emma Roberts and Billie Lourd. It was co-written and directed by James Cox. It’s based on a true story about a group of Los Angeles private school boys who set up a Ponzi scheme in the ’80s, a path that ultimately led to murder.
The conceit was originally made into 1987 TV movie starring Judd Nelson and Ron Silver.
11 TV Cast Upheavals, From Kevin Spacey in 'House of Cards' to Clayne Crawford in 'Lethal Weapon' (Photos)
"Lethal Weapon"
Actor Seann William Scott took over the role of Martin Riggs for the show's third season, which got the green light from Fox on May 13. A representative from Warner Bros. Television said the studio "decided not to renew Clayne Crawford’s contract for ‘Lethal Weapon'" after reports of bad behavior on set, described as "complaints of emotional abuse and creating a hostile environment."
Crawford apologized last month and wished the "Lethal Weapon" team luck on their third season without him. “To my cast and crew – CONGRATULATIONS on season 3!” Crawford wrote. “To the Fans – Thank you for the overwhelming support and love. Riggs was a dream role and the experience will live with me forever. My heart is full. Good Luck nxt season!!” he said on Instagram over the weekend.
"I take great pride in treating everyone in life with dignity and kindness," the 40-year-old actor said in April. "I am very grateful for my job, and I work extremely hard at it. I have a responsibility to do good work for my coworkers, my family, and my home state, and most especially for the fans. I hope they will stick with me and stick with the show."
Fox bosses said the decision to move ahead with a new season without Crawford was not their decision, but that of Warner Bros.
"Ultimately, our partners at Warner Bros. come to us about three weeks ago to tell us that they could not deliver ‘Lethal Weapon’ as we’ve known it before, that there were some real challenges in the cast. They thought long and hard about it. I know that was not their first choice,” said Dana Walden, Chairmen and CEO, Fox Television Group.
Ray Mickshaw/FOX
"House of Cards"
After star Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct, production was delayed and the actor's character was eventually written out of the show. Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos announced in December that a sixth and final season of the critically acclaimed drama "will not involve Kevin Spacey," but will feature lead actress Robin Wright.
"From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit," he said in a statement to TheWrap at the time. "I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty."
Netflix
"The Four"
Music executive Charlie Walk exited this singing competition, on which he was a judge, after he was accused of sexual harassment by a former employee. Walk did not attend the Fox show's finale, and will not be returning.
"I do not want my presence to be a distraction. Needless to say this is very upsetting," Walk said in a statement in February. "Although I continue to support the ‘Me Too’ movement, there has been an extreme rush to judgment against me in this particular case which is unfair and inconsistent with anything that even actually happened. I welcome any investigation so that in short order these unfounded and hurtful accusations can be put to rest."
"Gossip Girl" alum Ed Westwick was replaced by Christian Cooke after the actor was accused by three women of sexual assault (Westwick has denied the accusations). The premiere of the drama was canceled in November after accusations surfaced, and the show was pulled from the BBC. Filming for another BBC drama featuring Westwick, “White Gold,” was also stalled at the time.
Reshoots with Cooke went "smoothly," according to The Guardian, and the drama finally premiered on BBC One on Easter Sunday.
Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
"The Walking Dead"
Chandler Riggs, who played fan-favorite character Carl Grimes, left the show this season in a drawn-out and heartbreaking death-by-zombie bite. Fans were shocked when they learned his fate. "I didn’t know that this many people connected to him like on such an extreme level,” Riggs said of his character in an interview with TheWrap. Carl's death on the long-standing AMC drama caught fans off guard, mainly, because his character is still very much alive and a large part of the comics on which the show is based.
AMC
"Grey's Anatomy"
News of longtime cast members Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw leaving the medical drama came as a shock to fans in March. After some reports that star Ellen Pompeo's behemoth salary led to the actresses being cut, both Pompeo and showrunner Krista Vernoff said the idea was misleading.
“The decision to make changes to our cast was a creative one,” Vernoff said. “The only thing as constant on 'Grey’s Anatomy' as Ellen Pompeo is our penchant for reinvention. It is a part of our success and what keeps the show exciting. We love these actresses and we love these characters and it felt true and right creatively to wrap up their stories. And that is the whole story.”
"Harry Potter" alum Frank Dillane, who plays Nick Clark on the "Walking Dead" spinoff, said that Season 4 felt like the right time to move on from the show. (Spoiler!) Nick died in an April 29 episode after being shot by Charlie, the child spy of the Vultures group.
"I just felt like the beginning of this season kind of felt like the end of an era with this show. And television is hard work, and you have to shoot a lot," the British actor said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "I also missed Europe very much. I’m not American, so after a while I get quite homesick and all of those things. I also felt like we had achieved what needed to be achieved in the first few seasons, so I thought it was time to keep moving."
Combined with new cast members, like "Walking Dead" star Lennie James, Maggie Grace, Garret Dillahunt and Jenna Elfman, Nick's death marks the whittling away of the Clark family and crew on the spinoff show.
AMC
"NCIS"
Long-time "NCIS" star Pauley Perrette announced in October that she's leaving the show after 15 seasons. "So it is true that I am leaving NCIS... There have been all kinds of false rumors as to why," she tweeted last fall. She also threw cold water on reports on why she left, adding that, no, she does not have a skin care line, nor does she have beef with the network.
CBS
"Silicon Valley"
Comedian T.J. Miller left the HBO sitcom at the end of last season, and his only legacy in Season 5 are the pig ashes Jian Yang uses to convince the court he's dead. Showrunner Alec Berg told TheWrap last June that Miller's exit "was for the best" and that he thought it was time for the actor to move on. Miller told TheWrap that the cliffhanger ending to Season 4 felt like the perfect time to leave. But Miller's exit has been followed with accusations of sexual harassment against him (that he's denied), and his co-stars said he was often late, would fall asleep on set or even show up drunk.
HBO
Jeffrey Tambor was barred from returning to Amazon’s series “Transparent” for Season 5, the streamer said in mid-February.
The decision came after the conclusion of an investigation into accusations that the Emmy-winning actor sexually harassed three women, including Tambor's ex-assistant and transgender actress Van Barnes, “Transparent” actress Trace Lysette, and makeup artist Tamara Delbridge. Tambor denied the accusations.
Amazon
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These shows have had major cast shakeups in recent months
"Lethal Weapon"
Actor Seann William Scott took over the role of Martin Riggs for the show's third season, which got the green light from Fox on May 13. A representative from Warner Bros. Television said the studio "decided not to renew Clayne Crawford’s contract for ‘Lethal Weapon'" after reports of bad behavior on set, described as "complaints of emotional abuse and creating a hostile environment."
Crawford apologized last month and wished the "Lethal Weapon" team luck on their third season without him. “To my cast and crew – CONGRATULATIONS on season 3!” Crawford wrote. “To the Fans – Thank you for the overwhelming support and love. Riggs was a dream role and the experience will live with me forever. My heart is full. Good Luck nxt season!!” he said on Instagram over the weekend.
"I take great pride in treating everyone in life with dignity and kindness," the 40-year-old actor said in April. "I am very grateful for my job, and I work extremely hard at it. I have a responsibility to do good work for my coworkers, my family, and my home state, and most especially for the fans. I hope they will stick with me and stick with the show."
Fox bosses said the decision to move ahead with a new season without Crawford was not their decision, but that of Warner Bros.
"Ultimately, our partners at Warner Bros. come to us about three weeks ago to tell us that they could not deliver ‘Lethal Weapon’ as we’ve known it before, that there were some real challenges in the cast. They thought long and hard about it. I know that was not their first choice,” said Dana Walden, Chairmen and CEO, Fox Television Group.
Ray Mickshaw/FOX
Netflix
