Actor Kevin Spacey is making his Hollywood comeback in the upcoming thriller film Peter Five Eight, his first major on-screen role since being cleared of sexual assault charges in a UK court last July.
The trailer for director Michael Zaiko Hall’s Peter Five Eight dropped Tuesday, featuring Spacey as a sinister hitman alongside co-stars Rebecca De Mornay, Jet Jandreau, and Jake Webber. This marks Spacey’s return to a leading role after his career was upended by allegations of sexual misconduct in 2017.
In the trailer, Spacey’s character Peter is shown disposing of a body, holding a woman at knifepoint, and referring to himself as a “fallen soul.” Peter infiltrates a small town on orders from his boss to murder a real estate agent harboring dark secrets.
There are raunchy scenes of Peter spending the night with De Mornay’s character Brenda. He is also shown photographing her with Jandreau’s character Sam, before things take a sinister turn when Peter receives a call to “make it messy.” The trailer suggests Sam is tangled in shady dealings as well.
With the tagline “In this town, nothing is what it seems,” director Hall told DailyMail the $5-10 million budgeted film allowed Spacey to “craft a unique and memorable character for his fans to enjoy.” Peter Five Eight is slated for release on March 22.
Spacey built his acting career starring in critically acclaimed films like American Beauty, for which he won an Oscar. However, in 2017, Spacey’s reputation was shattered when actor Anthony Rapp accused him of assault at a 1986 party. Over a dozen men came forward with allegations against Spacey, including four accusers which Spacey was charged with assaulting in the UK.
Spacey vigorously denied the claims, stating the allegations were falsehoods for “money.” He was eventually cleared of all charges last summer in a UK court after a three week trial.
When the allegations surfaced, Spacey was promptly fired from his hit Netflix series House of Cards and was edited out and replaced by Christopher Plummer in Ridley Scott’s completed film All the Money in the World just six weeks before its release.
Peter Five Eight marks Spacey’s first major return to acting since the accusations derailed his career. While controversial given the circumstances, Spacey still retains devoted fans eager to see his on-screen comeback.
The role of a shadowy hitman is an intriguing choice for Spacey’s return, allowing him to channel his renowned acting talents into an enigmatic, morally ambiguous character. Director Hall expressed enthusiasm for Spacey’s return and performance.
Nonetheless, Spacey’s comeback is likely to draw mixed reactions in light of the sexual assault accusations. But with the thriller set for a March release, cinephiles can soon judge for themselves if this marks a successful acting return or misstep for Kevin Spacey.
