Posted in: Current News, Editor's Picks TV News, Movies, Netflix, TV | Tagged: Anthony Rapp, cable, Doug Stamper, drama, eric roth, Frank Underwood, house of cards, kevin spacey, michael kelly, netflix, politics, Season 6, streaming, television, The Alienist, thriller, tv, twitter
House Of Cards: Netflix Suspends Season 6 Production
Coming less than 24 hours after the announcement that Season 6 would be the political thriller's final season, Netflix has announced that it is suspending production on House of Cards' sixth season effectively immediately. In light of recent allegations leveled against star Kevin Spacey, the following statement was released by both Netflix and Media Rights Capital following the announcement of the decision (which was first reported by Deadline: Hollywood):
"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."
Actor Anthony Rapp alleges that in 1986, the Oscar-winning actor drunkenly attempted to "seduce" the then-teenage actor while both were appearing in a Broadway revival of Long Day's Journey Into Night and Precious Sons. Rapp's allegations prompted Spacey to take to Twitter with the actor neither confirming nor denying the allegations, but did choose that opportunity to come out as homosexual. Since that time, many have rallied to Rapp's defense and criticized Spacey for attempting to use his sexual orientation to distract from Rapp's accusations.
This was the statement released by Netflix at the time:
"Media Rights Capital and Netflix are deeply troubled by last night's news concerning Kevin Spacey. In response to last night's revelations, executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported. As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is not working on set at this time."
What impact this decision will have on the sixth and final season of House of Cards – and the possible spin-offs that Netflix is reported to be considering – is still unclear. Variety reported yesterday that Netflix is considering three new series that would be set in the Frank Underwood universe; including one that would focus on political aide-de-camp Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), with executive producer Eric Roth (The Alienist) set to pen the series.