“Control,” Kevin Spacey‘s first film following his acquittal for sexual assault in the U.K., is set to get a Christmas release.
Variety understands the feature — in which Spacey doesn’t appear but has a major voice role — will be released in both the U.S. and the U.K. on Dec. 15.
Sales agent TriCoast Worldwide previously confirmed it was aiming for a winter release.
While a U.S. distributor has not yet been lined up, sources indicate TriCoast’s distribution arm, TriCoast Entertainment is the likely frontrunner to acquire the rights.
“Control,” which was directed by British auteur Gene Fallaize, sees Spacey play a mysterious figure hellbent on revenge who remotely hijacks a British government official’s car.
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The actor recorded his part in London last December while awaiting trial for sexual and indecent assault in the U.K.. He was found not guilty on all charges last month.
Fallaize said discussion of the trial didn’t come up during their time in the studio although Spacey did speak fondly of “House of Cards,” despite the fact he was axed from the show after the first allegations of sexual misconduct emerged against him in 2017.
“He is naturally quiet and comes across as quite shy,” Fallaize told Variety last month. “He seemed fine. I mean, I didn’t know Kevin before all of this so I can’t say what he was like in comparison to what he was like before. But you know, he just seemed like a nice guy.”
As to whether the director had any reservations about casting Spacey, he said he didn’t. “The only people that know everything are the ones that were in that courtroom and they decided he was not guilty,” Fallaize said. “These people that are saying – if they’re saying – that we’re whitewashing him or enabling him to come back, what facts have they got to contradict the jury? I don’t regret casting Kevin and I would do it all over again.”
