NEW YORK • Netflix has dropped actor Kevin Spacey, whose career is in free fall over spiralling sexual assault accusations as police gather evidence for a possible arrest warrant against producer Harvey Weinstein for alleged rape.
Two-time Oscar winner Spacey, 58, has gone from esteemed actor to entertainment pariah in just days.
Reportedly being investigated by British police for assault in London in 2008, he has been publicly accused of attempting to rape a 15-year-old boy in New York and of making advances on a 14-year-old.
Already dropped by his publicist and agent, streaming service Netflix became the latest entity to cut ties with Spacey late on Friday.
"Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House Of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey," a spokesman said.
Production of the final season, which had been due to air next year, has already been suspended. Netflix said it would work with the show's production company, Media Rights Capital, "to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show".
Netflix also said it was abandoning the release of an upcoming film, Gore, that also stars Spacey.
London police have opened investigations into an allegation of sexual assault, and British media said the subject of the inquiry is Spacey.
Since the allegations surfaced last Sunday, Spacey has made no comment other than declaring he was "beyond horrified" by the first allegation dating back 31 years, which he claimed not to remember.
On Friday, New York police also confirmed that evidence was being gathered for a possible arrest warrant in connection with Harvey Weinstein's alleged double rape of actress Paz de la Huerta at her New York apartment in late 2010.
"She put forth a credible and detailed narrative to us," said New York Police Department chief of detectives Robert Boyce . Weinstein denies any non-consensual relations.
"If this person was still in New York and it was recent, we would go right away and make the arrest, no doubt. But we're talking about a seven-year-old case and we have to move forward in gathering evidence first," said chief Boyce. "We have an actual case here," he added.
The Manhattan district attorney's office confirmed it had assigned a senior sex crimes prosecutor to the case.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
