Kevin Spacey Drops Out of Genghis Khan Movie Following Sexual Assault Charges (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Manori Ravindran International EditorKevin Spacey will no longer be leading the Genghis Khan movie shopped in Cannes following his sexual assault case in the U.K., Variety can reveal.The actor was set to star in “1242: Gateway to the West,” a historical drama being shopped at the Cannes film market, about a holy man of a Hungarian castle that tries to stop one of Genghis Khan’s armies from invading Europe.

Spacey was set to play the holy man.But the movie’s producer, Bill Chamberlain of Chelsea Pictures, tells Variety that the pic has now replaced Spacey as its lead after the former “House of Cards” actor was charged in the U.K.

with four counts of sexual assault and one count of “causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.” Negotiations are currently underway with a new lead, who will be revealed in due course.

Spacey pleaded not guilty to all five counts in London on Thursday. He will stand trial in the U.K. on June 6, 2023, with the trial expected to last three to four weeks.Directed by Péter Soós, the English-language “Gateway to the West” has a budget of around $10 million to $25 million, and is scheduled to begin a two-month shoot on Oct.