In the wake of U.K. prosecutors authorizing criminal sexual assault charges against Kevin Spacey, the producers behind the embattled actor’s latest film, Peter Five Eight, have backed the Oscar winner as he attempts to resurrect his screen career.
“While it’s unfortunate that increased negative press is timed with Kevin returning to work, it’s also to be expected. There are those who wish for him not to act, but they are outnumbered by fans worldwide who await an artist they have enjoyed for decades returning to the screen,” said a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter from the backers of Peter Five Eight, a mystery thriller financed by Mad Honey and LTD Films and is a co-production of Ascent Films and Forever Safe.
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the public agency conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales, has ordered criminal charges against Spacey, 62, for four counts of sexual assault against three men who are now in their 30s and 40s, the CPS Special Crime Division announced on Thursday morning.
“The production has no knowledge or comment on the various swirling allegations, and believe it’s a matter for the courts to determine validity if it exists. Peter Five Eight is a film for fans who care more for the art than the scandal,” the statement from the producers added.
Spacey’s return to movies after sexual assault and misconduct allegations derailed his career in 2017 has Peter Five Eight being shopped by sales agent VMI Worldwide in Cannes this week.
The thriller, which was shot earlier this year in California, near the Oregon border, stars Spacey in a leading role as Peter, a charismatic man in a black sedan who shows up in a small mountainside community.
Jet Jandreau plays Sam, a glamorous real estate agent who is revealed to be unhinged and a troubled alcoholic with a dark secret, while Rebecca De Mornay plays Brenda, whom Peter targets for information at the urging of his powerful and shadowy boss, Mr. Lock.
Spacey is also set to star in another movie being shopped in Cannes, 1242 – Gateway to the West.