Kevin Spacey has been dropped by Netflix after another raft of sexual assault allegations dating to his time in working on House of Cards.
Media Rights Capital (MRC), the production company behind the award-winning show, announced that they were suspending the actor, a move that is thought to be necessary to precede an eventual termination of his contract.
"While we continue the ongoing investigation into the serious allegations concerning Kevin Spacey's behavior on the set of 'House of Cards,' he has been suspended, effective immediately," said MRC in a statement.
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"MRC, in partnership with Netflix, will continue to evaluate a creative path forward for the program during the hiatus."
Credit: PA
Netflix also released a statement on Friday that confirmed that Spacey would not feature in any future episodes of the hit show.
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"Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey," read the statement, issued through a spokesman. "
We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show."
House of Cards had been filming its sixth season but production was halted on Tuesday after the allegations were made against Spacey by the actor Anthony Rapp, who accused him of acting inappropriately towards him in 1986, when he was just 14 years of age.
Spacey has subsequently been accused of assaulting a male actor in the United Kingdom, for which he is currently under investigation by Scotland Yard.
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Netflix are scrambling to replace House of Cards, which is one of their most successful shows.
Variety reported earlier in the week that they are considering a spinoff that would allow them to keep the series going without Spacey. MRC said that they would 'continue to evaluate a creative path forward for the program during the hiatus'.
Credit: PA
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Spacey caused further controversy on top of the allegations by releasing a statement that announced that he was gay, a move that many thought insensitive to the LGBTI community and designed to distract from the claims made against him.
The statement spoke of 'deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour' that occurred many years ago, but subsequent allegations dating from his time Spacey's time as artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London have suggested that his behaviour was well-known.
"There was a running 'joke' about it," said former Old Vic employee Rebecca Gooden to The Guardian. "I was informed that I was not allowed to talk about it outside the theatre. I am honestly sickened that the theatre has chosen to plead ignorance."
The Old Vic later released their own statement - "The Old Vic is not currently in a position to comment on specifics of what may have taken place in the past" - and set up a confidential email to which people could report allegations.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: Netflix