Following sexual misconduct allegations made against House of Cards star Kevin Spacey and Netflix later announcing the show’s sixth and final season, the streaming service has now suspended production of the political drama, NBC News says.
Making the decision with production company Media Rights Capital, Netflix said in a statement, “MRC and Netflix have decided to suspend production on House of Cards season six, until further notice, to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew.”
Execs are on set this week discussing with our cast and crew. More details to come.
— Netflix US (@netflix) October 31, 2017
To put the situation into perspective, Deadline reported about two weeks ago that the show’s active production schedule was “not impacted” by a serious shooting occurring about a mile away from its Baltimore set. Three died and two were wounded in the incident, but after contacting local authorities, MRC and Netflix continued House of Cards’ regular schedule. According to the site, Netflix executives also visited the set this Monday to “meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported.” Spacey was not scheduled to work that day.
Since the news of his inappropriate encounter with then-underage Anthony Rapp, Spacey has also come under fire for using Rapp’s claims as an opportunity to come out as gay. Many believe that doing so creates a link between homosexuality and sexual predators, which is totally untrue. Star Trek actor Zachary Quinto released a statement saying, “I am sorry that Kevin only saw fit to acknowledge his truth when he thought it would serve him…victims’ voices are the ones that deserve to be heard.”
— Zachary Quinto (@ZacharyQuinto) October 30, 2017
Although the future of House of Cards may be up in the air, there is no doubt that this has left an irreversible mark on Spacey’s career.