The rise of the Me Too movement changed the film industry forever, as figures like Harvey Weinstein were toppled from their place of power. Another person who was accused of sexual misconduct early in the movement was Kevin Spacey, who was promptly fired from his role in Netflix's House of Cards. While many of those accusers have settled out of court in the states, the 62 year-old actor was recently charged with multiple counts of sexual assault in the U.K.. Spacey just pleaded not guilty to those charges, so now what?
While Kevin Spacey was fired from House of Cards years ago, he hasn't faced any real legal consequences for the various sexual misconduct allegations that came his way. But that could change in the U.K., as he was charged with four different counts of assault. THR reported that Spacey has pleaded not guilty, and now it looks like things are going to come to a head when a trial begins. Specifically, the trial is expected to begin next summer: June 6th, 2023.
Obviously a year is a long time to wait, so both the public and Kevin Spacey himself will likely be in a state of unease for the next 11 months until the trial actually begins. This comes as Spacey has appeared in court two times over the last month. The Seven actor previously appeared in front of a U.K. judge, who maintained that he wasn't a flight risk and could travel in and out of the U.S. as he pleases. Alternatively, the judge could have ordered that Spacey spend the next year within the country while he waited for the trial to begin. In that way, he's gotten some good news in court already.
The judge overseeing Kevin Spacey's case is reportedly Justice Mark Wall. The trial is expected to last three to four weeks, once the assault cases are actually brought to court. According to the report, said trial is expected to take place at either London’s Southwark Crown Court or at the Old Bailey. And smart money says it's going to get a ton of media attention next summer.
Of course, cinephiles out there recently tuned in to another high profile celebrity lawsuit: the legal battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. With cameras in the courtroom, every moment from the trial went viral and was turned into a meme. It was also zoo outside the courtroom, and it should be interesting to see if Kevin Spacey's assault trial across the pond is given the same attention by the public. While Depp ended up being the victor in court, this is a very different case with an entirely different legal process. As such, we'll just have to wait and see how it all shakes out. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
