Report: ‘House of Cards’ May Not Be Able to Fire Kevin Spacey
It didn’t take long for Netflix and House of Cards to distance themselves from star Kevin Spacey in the wake of pedophilia accusations from actor Adam Rapp. Producers placed Spacey on leave with intent to rewrite House of Cards’ final season around Robin Wright’s Claire, but the process of severing the toxic star may be more costly and complicated than we thought.
Keep in mind that House of Cards Season 6 production has not yet resumed, even as Spacey has long-since vacated the set and reportedly sought treatment in Arizona. Neither Netflix nor production company Media Rights Capital have offered any update on the series’ future, and The Blast now reports a slight hitch in the plan to sever ties with Spacey. Given his former Hollywood pedigree and role as producer, Spacey “does not have a morality clause in his contract that would trigger a suspension or termination from the production based upon personal actions,” and a lasting dismissal would require him to be “’unavailable’ or ‘incapacitated’ to fulfill his obligations with production.”
In short – Spacey might be “owed a fortune” for termination without cause, which might make scrapping Season 6 altogether the more viable option. The actor’s team is reportedly pushing back against the suspension, claiming that MRC used Rapp’s allegations and the subsequent controversy to “[fish] for other cases of harassment to use against him.”
One hopes Spacey will do the right thing and step away from the series, rather than cost crew their jobs, as the company made clear “Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey.” Stay tuned for the latest on the series’ future as it arrives.
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