In 2017, Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey’s career became far less prolific following sexual assault allegations made first by Star Trek: Discovery’s Anthony Rapp, with others following suit sharing their own accusations. In the years since, Spacey has been accused of sexually abusive acts by a growing number of people, but attempts to legally hold him accountable haven’t been so fruitful, with Rapp’s lawsuit trial jury favoring Spacey with its verdict in October 2022, saying the actor was not liable for the claims made against him. Now, as he’s set to be at the center of a new trial in the UK, the Se7en star’s newest film project has landed a distributor and a release in the U.S.
Kevin Spacey’s latest trial start is currently set for June 28, and is expected to last around a month. Depending on how things pan out, he may be gearing up to celebrate the release of his newest movie, the comedic thriller Peter Five Eight, which was officially picked up for multi-country releasing by SPI International, according to THR. The goal is currently for the company to release the film in the U.S. in August, though currently without a specific date locked in. Whether or not that detail is tied to the actor’s impending trial is unknown.
Directed by former Pixar visual effects artist Michael Zaiko Hall, Peter Five Eight was filmed in the latter half of 2021 in California, and stars Jet Jandreau as a wealthy and glammed up real estate agent hiding a dark secret behind a wall of alcoholism. Spacey enters the story as a charismatic gent named Peter who is tasked by a shadowy authority figure to travel to the mountainside setting. One of his tasks is to get information from a woman involved named Brenda, who’s played by Rebecca De Mornay.
Below is the initial poster for the movie, though it’s likely something slightly cleaner will be released ahead of the actual release.
SPI International, an imprint of Studio Canal/Canal+, closed the deal with VMI Worldwide, which was already in charge of worldwide sales rights, with previous efforts being made in 2022 to get the film sold. The company runs dozens and dozens of linear TV channels and digital platforms across all continents (save for Antarctica), with the streaming service FilmBox+ arguably its most recognized. Plans for Peter Five Eight’s release in other countries have not yet been finalized.
Ahead of his U.S. trial win, and following numerous other allegations, Spacey pleaded not guilty in July 2022 after four charges were filed in the UK in May 2022. The Crown Prosecution Service charged Spacey with four counts of sexual assault against three male complaintants, with the assaults in question reportedly taking place between the years of 2005 and 2013. Then in November, the CPS agreed to allow an additional seven charges against Spacey to be entered into the trial, as tied to a single overarching complaint. The UK trial was initially set to begin on June 6, but the date was later shifted back to June 28.
Following the verdict of the U.S. trial, Anthony Rapp shared an emotional response to having been unsuccessful in his legal efforts, and one can only wonder what he thinks about Spacey heading to trial across the globe, as well as potentially having a feature getting released immediately after the trial is over.