Gore cancelled as Netflix cuts ties with Kevin Spacey
David Farnor | On 04, Nov 2017
Netflix is cutting all ties with Kevin Spacey, both on Gore and House of Cards, as the actor faces growing claims of sexual assault.
The film, which was set to star Kevin Spacey as the American political pundit, was directed by Michael Hoffman from a screenplay written by Hoffman and Jay Parini, on whose 2015 biography “Empire of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal” the story is based. The film centred on the period in 1982 following Gore’s failed effort in the California Senate primary election, when he retreated to his Italian home La Rondinaia.
Shooting began on the project in the summer, with the cast including Michael Stuhlbarg, Griffin Dunne, Freya Mavor (The Sense of An Ending), Nikolai Kinski (Yves Saint Laurent) and Douglas Booth (The Limehouse Golem). Now, Netflix announced that the project has been axed altogether, as Netflix cuts its ties with Spacey.
Netflix has also said it will not move forward with any version of House of Cards that involves the actor.
The decision follows the suspension of the flagship political drama this week, following allegations of a historical sexual advance by Kevin Spacey towards Anthony Rapp, who was 14 at the time. Executives from Netflix and producer Media Rights Capital visited the set on Monday, immediately following the accusation, and then decided to halt production on Tuesday. Since then, a growing number of people have come forward to accuse Spacey of sexual misconduct and harassment, both in his line of film and theatre work.
On Thursday, Spacey was dropped by his publicist, Staci Wolfe, while Scotland Yard announced on Friday that it is opening an investigation into an allegation of sexual assault involving a male thesp in London.
“Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey,” a spokesman for the streaming service said in a statement last night. “We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show.”
Michael Stuhlbarg and Griffin Dunne join Netflix Gore biopic
15th September 2017
Michael Stuhlbarg and Griffin Dunne are among the latest impressive names to join Netflix’s Gore Vidal biopic, Gore.
The film, which stars Kevin Spacey as the American novelist, controversialist and political pundit, is directed by Michael Hoffman from a screenplay written by Hoffman and Jay Parini, on whose 2015 insightful biography “Empire of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal” the story is based. The film centres on the period in 1982 following Gore’s failed effort in the California Senate primary election. He retreats to his Italian home La Rondinaia in a Bacchanalian attempt to circumvent his writers block and sense of ennui.
As well as Stuhlbarg and Dunne, Spacey will be joined by Freya Mavor (The Sense of An Ending), Nikolai Kinski (Yves Saint Laurent), with Douglas Booth already cast. Stuhlbarg will play Howard, Gore’s longtime companion, with Booth and Mavor as the young couple whose vacation along the gorgeous and seductive Amalfi Coast is derailed by Gore’s attentions. Dunne and Kinski play famed American composer Leonard Bernstein and renowned Russian dancer/choreographer Rudolph Nureyev, regular visitors to Gore’s Ravello villa.
Andy Paterson is producer of the film for Sympathetic Ink. Paterson previously produced Spacey’s 2004 film about musician Bobby Darin Beyond The Sea and Hoffman’s Restoration. Production services in Italy provided by Enrico Ballarin’s Mestiere Cinema. Principal photography currently taking place in Italy with additional lensing in London.
WIth cinematography by Oliver Stapleton (The Cider House Rules), the production is designed by Oscar winner Patrizia von Brandenstein (Amadeus), with costumes by Oscar winner Gabriella Pescucci (The Age of Innocence).
The film is slated for release in 2018.
Douglas Booth joins Netflix’s Gore
1st September 2017
Douglas Booth has joined the cast of Netflix’s Gore.
The biopic of Gore Vidal stars Kevin Spacey as the famous writer. The film is already in production in Italy, with The Last Station director Michael Hoffman at the helm.
The movie will be set in the 1980s and will predominantly feature Vidal’s villa La Rondinaia, which sits on a cliff in Ravello, a thousand feet about the sea. It was there that Vidal entertained such stars as Andy Warhol, Paul Newman and Greta Gabo.
While Netflix has stayed tight-lipped on the project, now we know a bit more about it, as Deadline reveals that Booth will play Jamie, a young British writer whose work catches Vidal’s eye.
Booth, who can be seen in The Limehouse Golem in U.K. cinemas, is about to become a name we all recognise, with roles in Loving Vincent and Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Mary Shelley.
Shooting on Gore has begun in Rome, where Vidal spent a lot of time in 1960s, and will then move to Ravello, where the study where Gore wrote regularly will be “meticulously reconstructed” within the villa.
Kevin Spacey to play Gore Vidal in Netflix biopic
23rd July 2017
Kevin Spacey is playing Gore Vidal in a new Netflix biopic.
Variety reports that Spacey, who has already played real life figures such as Bobby Darin and President Nixon, will once again turn to history for his next role, as he portrays the American author and playwright.
While he never became President of the United States, Vidal was a heavyweight on the political scene, commentating and essaying on US politics throughout his career and twice seeking elected office to the House of Representatives and the Senate. Spacey, then, seems like a natural choice for the role, bearing a very slight resemblance to Vidal and someone very familiar with production under Netflix’s arm.
Titled “Gore”, the film is already in production in Italy, with The Last Station director Michael Hoffman at the helm. The UK’s Andy Paterson (The Railway Man, Girl With A Pearl Earring) is on producing duties.
The movie will be set in the 1980s and will predominantly feature Vidal’s villa La Rondinaia, which sits on a cliff in Ravello, a thousand feet about the sea. It was there that Vidal entertained such stars as Andy Warhol, Paul Newman and Greta Gabo.
Shooting is underway in Rome, where Vidal spent a lot of time in 1960s, but will then move to Ravello, where the study where Gore wrote regularly will be “meticulously reconstructed” within the villa. The production designer is Patrizia Von Brandenstein, who won an Oscar for her work on Amadeus.
Netflix has not yet officially commented on the reports, but the film will mark the first feature biopic of Vidal, who has previously been featured in such documentaries as Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia, and Best of Enemies. The latter is currently on Netflix UK.