Kevin Spacey's first film since sexual misconduct allegations hits theaters in August
By Rachel DeSantis
Kevin Spacey seen in the upcoming film, "Billionaire Boys Club," opening in August. (Handout)
A film starring Kevin Spacey arrives in theaters this summer, marking the actor's first time on the big screen since sexual misconduct allegations all but forced him into exile last fall.
"Billionaire Boys Club," due out Aug. 17, was filmed before the accusations against the Oscar-winning actor hit, but its distributor, Vertical Entertainment, has decided to forge ahead and give it a limited theatrical run.
Vertical explained the decision was made with the hopes that audiences will be able to see past the claims for the sake of the hundreds of other industry members involved in production.
"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," Vertical told the Daily News in a statement.
"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."
Ansel Elgort in a scene from "Billionaire Boys Club." (Handout)
"Billionaire Boys Club," directed by James Cox, also stars Ansel Elgort, who was Spacey's "Baby Driver" co-star, along with Taron Egerton, Emma Roberts and Billie Lourd. The 1980s-set crime drama is based on a real-life group of young, wealthy Los Angeles boys whose get-rich-quick Ponzi scheme goes awry.
"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," the statement continued.
Spacey is currently under investigation by the both the Scotland Yard and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Sex Crimes Task Force for four separate sexual assault allegations, dating back to the early 1990s.
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He was first accused of misconduct in October by actor Anthony Rapp, who claimed Spacey made an unwanted sexual advance toward him when he was just 14.
The consequences were swift. Shortly after Rapp's claim opened a flood of similar allegations, Spacey was fired from his starring role in the Netflix series "House of Cards." His role in the Ridley Scott film "All the Money in the World" was also cut, with Christopher Plummer stepping in to reshoot the scenes.