The Prince Charles Cinema has retracted its offer to host the premiere of upcoming thriller Control due to Kevin Spacey’s involvement.
Spacey has a voice role through phone calls in the thriller, which marks the actor’s first project since he was cleared of sexual assault charges at a London trial in July.
As reported by The Telegraph, Greg Lynn, who runs the London cinema based near Leicester Square, wrote an email to Control actor and producer Lauren Metcalfe to inform them of the cancellation.
“We have an issue,” the email from Lynn reads. “It is with my apologies that I have to inform you that we have cancelled your hire with us.
“Last night it came to our attention that your film features Kevin Spacey, in particular his first film since the court case. My staff as well as I are horrified that we are being mentioned in the same breath as his new film for the premiere.”
In a statement to Variety, Metcalfe said they were “briefly disappointed” but have since found a “much better and more appropriate venue” to host the premiere, Genesis Cinema.
In response to the decision to cancel the premiere, Spacey’s attorney Chase Scolnick described it as “beyond disappointing”.
“Mr Spacey has proven his innocence in every courtroom in which he has appeared,” Scolnick told Variety. “Every juror who has considered the evidence against him has unanimously rejected the false allegations.
“The Prince Charles Cinema’s decision to censor Kevin’s exciting new project is beyond disappointing. It rejects the legal process of two countries, ignores the overwhelming evidence of Kevin’s innocence, and disregards the sacrifice of dozens of impartial jurors who found Kevin 100 per cent innocent.”
NME has reached out to Prince Charles Cinema for comment.
Directed by Gene Fallaize, Control follows fictional British Home Secretary Stella Simmons (Metcalfe) who is having an affair with Prime Minister David Addams (Mark Hampton).
While driving his daughter home one night, her self-driving car is taken over by an unseen hacker (voiced by Spacey) who threatens to kill them both.
Control is scheduled to be released in cinemas on December 15.
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