In an unprecedented move, beleaguered star Kevin Spacey will be completely cut from his upcoming film, All the Money in the World.
Instead, USA TODAY has confirmed, Christopher Plummer will be brought in to reshoot the role of J. Paul Getty in the story about the infamous 1973 kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III.
According to a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly about it, the decision was director Ridley Scott's and Sony is supporting his decision. Deadline first broke the news.
All the Money in the World, expected in theaters Dec. 22, had been positioned for an awards run prior to Spacey's fall from grace after a series of sexual assault allegations.
To date, 14 men have come forward with allegations against Spacey.
Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams, who respectively play J. Paul Getty's lawyer and daughter, will be brought back for reshoots.
"This is unprecedented in a movie that’s supposed to open the next month," says Pete Hammond, awards columnist for Deadline. "I’m sure they figured out a way to do this. It’s fascinating. It makes sense to me. They should have done this before."
All the Money in the World was recently pulled from the AFI Fest lineup, where it was set to screen for the first time during the festival's closing gala on Nov. 16.
Scott and Sony are still committed to hitting the scheduled release date.
Following the sexual assault allegations, Netflix has completely cut ties with Spacey, saying they "will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes" the actor. Netflix has also shelved Spacey's Gore Vidal biopic, Gore.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Spacey and Scott for comment.
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