Kevin Spacey has reportedly dropped out of an upcoming Genghis Khan movie amid his… ongoing lawsuit in the UK†
The actor, who should have played the lead role in the historical drama, is… charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of ‘causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent’.
Spacey has denied the allegations and has traveled to the UK to face the charges†
The 62-year-old Usual Suspects actor was cast as the protagonist in 1242: Gateway To The West, which tells the story of a holy man in a Hungarian castle who fights to stop Genghis Khan’s armies from invading Europe.
Now a producer of the Chelsea Pictures film has said that Spacey should be replaced, with another actor taking on the role of the holy man.
Producer Bill Chamberlain told Variety that Spacey is no longer involved in the project and that negotiations are underway with a new lead actor to be revealed at a later date.
The news comes as Spacey appeared in court in London on Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty to the five historic charges of sexual assault, going back 17 years.
He had previously vehemently denied the charges leveled against him by three men, who are now in their thirties and forties.
Spacey, who is on unconditional bail, came to court in person to present his not guilty plea.
Mr Justice Wall has told him that his trial will begin on June 6, 2023 and is expected to last between three and four weeks.
The alleged crimes allegedly took place in London and Gloucestershire between 2005 and 2013, during Spacey’s time as Artistic Director of the Old Vic theater in London.
At a preliminary court hearing last month, Spacey’s attorney Patrick Gibbs QC said the actor “strongly denies any crime in this case.”
He insisted he had returned to the UK ‘to establish his innocence’ and ‘go on with his life’.
He faces two charges of assaulting a man, now in his forties, in March 2005 in London; assaulting a man, now in his thirties, causing him to engage in unauthorized sexual activity in London in August 2008; and assault of a man, now in his thirties, in April 2013 in Gloucestershire.
Metro.co.uk has reached out to representatives for Kevin Spacey and Chelsea Pictures for comment.
Do you have a story?
If you have any celebrity story, video or photos, please contact the metro.co.uk animation team by emailing [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or visiting our Submit things page – we’d love to hear from you.
LAKE : Kevin Spacey pleads not guilty to historic charges of sexual assault in London court
LAKE : Kevin Spacey sexual abuse allegations explored in Channel 4 documentary
