Everyone wants Kevin Spacey out of their projects. “House of Cards” has haled production to kill him off. Netflix has cancelled Spacey’s Gore Vidal movie. And now the weirdest twist of all: Ridley Scott is editing Spacey out of his movie about J. Paul Getty and replacing him with Christopher Plummer.
No matter that Plummer is two decades or more older than Spacey.
“All the Money in the World” was all finished and ready to be screened for Oscar consideration. Now Scott will have to move fast to reshoot Spacey’s scenes. Luckily Spacey isn’t the star of the movie. The film is about the kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III, his grandson. But it will be a major enterprise to bring Spacey’s scene partners back in, as well as match the rest of the movie. And all this has to be done quickly to make the December 22 release date. It’s unheard of.
But “All the Money” is key for Sony’s TriStar Pictures. Sony has been living all season on “Spider Man” and “Baby Driver.” They need a prestige movie for the end of the year.
Spacey, meanwhile, has been accused by Boston newscaster Heather Unruh of sexually attacking her son, then 16, two years ago in a Nantucket nightclub. It’s the latest of many charges against Spacey.