Sony is removing Kevin Spacey from All the Money in the World and will reshoot his scenes immediately with Christopher Plummer in the role of J. Paul Getty. Earlier this year, Sony looked like they had an Oscar hopeful on their hands with Ridley Scott's latest movie, All the Money in the World. Thanks to a star studded cast featuring Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg in leading roles, the movie looked primed for awards consideration, especially with Spacey's transformation into Getty.
However, the future of the movie was put in serious doubt recently following the allegations of sexual assault against Spacey. Netflix essentially fired Spacey from House of Cards by releasing a statement that they would no longer be involved with the series if he remained a cast member. The streaming service will also no longer release the Spacey-led Gore Vidal biopic, Gore. Many thought the only future All the Money in the World had was to be delayed or shelved altogether.
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That is most definitely not the case now as Deadline reports Sony and director Ridley Scott are removing Spacey from the film and are scheduled to start reshoots immediately. Oscar-winning actor Christopher Plummer is going to step into the role of Getty and reshoot the necessary scenes to complete the film. Williams and Wahlberg have already agreed to the reshoots, and they will begin very soon, as Scott is adamant All the Money in the World hits its December release next month.
This is truly shocking news on a number of levels. The decision to axe Spacey is a no-brainer for the film, but coming this late in the game is what is truly baffling. This arrangement will give Scott and co. just over a month to reshoot all of Getty's scenes and edit the film back together. It will be an incredibly tight turnaround for All the Money in the World, but one that Scott must believe will result in the movie still garnering awards recognition.
Even though Spacey won't be seen in All the Money in the World, his prior attachment, conduct on set, and the decision to make this change will without a doubt be a big talking point as the film moves forward. The awards angle of this news is also intriguing as most predictions for the awards season had Spacey's role being the most likely chance All the Money in the World had at getting nominated. Plummer could easily come in and outdo what Spacey did before, but unless Sony believes the final results can get nominations for Scott as best director, Williams as best female lead, Wahlberg or Plummer as best supporting male, or even for Best Picture, then the mandate on this December release will be unwarranted. However this all shakes out, removing Spacey from the film is the best decision.
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Source: Deadline