NEW YORK (AP) – Sony Pictures has pulled the film “All the Money in the World” from its AFI Fest premiere following the sexual misconduct allegations made against co-star Kevin Spacey.
In a statement Monday, Sony’s TriStar Pictures said it was withdrawing the film from the Los Angeles festival because “it would be inappropriate to celebrate a gala at this difficult time.” It had been slated to be the festival’s closing night film on November 16.
Directed by Ridley Scott, “All the Money in the World” is one of the fall movie season’s more anticipated releases, with many expecting it to be a potential Oscar contender. In it, Spacey plays oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. When his 16-year-old grandson is kidnapped, Getty refuses to pay the ransom. The boy’s mother (Michelle Williams) and Getty’s adviser (Mark Wahlberg) work to recapture him.
TriStar said the film’s December 22 release date remains unchanged, a decision that for now preserves the awards-season position of “All the Money in the World.”
“A film is not the work of one person. There are over 800 other actors, writers, artists, craftspeople and crew who worked tirelessly and ethically on this film, some for years, including one of cinema’s master directors,” said TriStar. “It would be a gross injustice to punish all of them for the wrongdoings of one supporting actor in the film.”