kevin spacey
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Six years after his career derailed amid dozens of sexual misconduct allegations, Kevin Spacey has returned to theaters. indie thriller peter five eight Set for limited release on March 22, 2024.
Thomas Ashley, CEO of Invincible Entertainment, who is supporting Spacey’s effort to revive his screen career after being found not guilty in a sexual assault trial in the UK in July, explains his reasoning for distributing the film, him Hopefully audiences will judge the film on its own merits, and allegations of sexual misconduct will not arise. House of cards actor.
“The film is worth watching. This is an excellent film. And I don’t believe filmmakers deserve to suffer. And he’s been found not guilty and deserves a second shot, just like we all want,” Ashley explains. Hollywood Reporter.
Spacey stars in the feature as Peter, a charismatic man in a black sedan who shows up to a small mountain community.
Ashley acknowledged that some audiences would boycott the film due to Spacey’s sexual misconduct allegations and legal problems.
“He was arrested and he went to court and stood trial. And I believe he should get relief,” Ashley argues. “He has already paid a heavy price for these allegations, a very heavy price. I have lost roles. Was kryptonite for. “He deserves a seat at the table again.”
The actor’s glittering four-decade career took a hit in 2017 when over 30 people came forward accusing him of inappropriate sexual behaviour. The two-time Oscar winner was fired from Netflix House of cards and edited from Ridley Scott all the money in the world And remained without work for years.
But in recent years he has found some roles in the low-budget indie world, including a role as filmmaker Michael Zico Hall. peter five eightWhich was filmed in late 2021 and early 2022.
In October 2022, Spacey was found not liable in a civil sexual misconduct lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp. After this he was acquitted in a British court case. Now he will not have to face any further legal action.
This paved the way for traditional commercial releases peter five eight To begin with, a theatrical opening in New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and Miami. Ashley hopes other cities can follow suit. peter five eight After this there will be home entertainment and video-on-demand releases.
Invincible Entertainment has a history of releasing controversial films. In 2016, Ashley’s first theatrical release was Kevin Smith’s horror comedy yoga hosersIt starred Lily-Rose Depp and Harley Quinn Smith and also included Lily-Rose Depp’s father Johnny Depp.
That film, which Ashley also produced, hit theaters shortly after Depp faced abuse allegations against his ex-wife Amber Heard. “We have a lot of experience with cancel culture. We knew Johnny. We were absolutely convinced that he did not do what he was accused of. But the court of public opinion felt very differently and our film really suffered and our investors lost a lot of money,” he recalled.
peter five eight Jett Jandreau also stars as Sam, a glamorous real estate agent who is revealed to be an unhinged and troubled alcoholic with a dark secret, while Rebecca De Mornay plays Brenda, whom Peter targets for information at the insistence of his powerful and shady boss, Mr. , .Lock. The mystery thriller is bankrolled by Mad Honey and Limited Films and is a co-production of Ascent Films and Forever Safe.
While Ashley hopes Spacey will help market its commercial release peter five eight, He says it’s up to the actor to interact well with the film audience, who may not be ready to see him on screen.
“I think Kevin needs to have a conversation with those guys. “He needed to reach out, and he already has,” Ashley says.
However, wearing his marketing and promotion hat as a distributor, he adds: “It’s important to get Kevin in front of audiences again, to remind them that he has this great talent. And peter five eight “It’s an amazing movie and Kevin is fantastic in it.”
Courtesy of VMI