All the Money in the World: Ridley Scott on Replacing Kevin Spacey

Ridley Scott speaks out about replacing Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World

Director Ridley Scott is speaking out about replacing Kevin Spacey (House of Cards, Moon) with Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music, Up) in the upcoming Sony Pictures film All the Money in the World, according to EW. As you may recall, Spacey was playing the role of billionaire J. Paul Getty in the film, but was replaced after numerous allegations of sexual misconduct were revealed. You can watch a TV spot for All the Money in the World with Plummer as J. Paul Getty in the player below.

Scott spoke to the magazine about when he heard the news. He said, “I was finished with the film and was in [U.K. recording studio] Abbey Road finalizing the music. Someone was like: Guess what? And that’s where it began. I sat and thought about it and realized, we cannot. You can’t tolerate any kind of behavior like that. And it will affect the film. We cannot let one person’s action affect the good work of all these other people. It’s that simple.”

He talked about replacing Spacey with Plummer and how he was always up for the role. “You have to know who you’re going to go for [to recast the role] and if he’s available. Chris [Plummer] was always on the list. So you find that out, but quietly, because you don’t want it going around. I flew into New York and met with [Plummer] and he said yes. So then we had to figure out if everyone else would be available to fit in these new days of shooting. Miraculously, they were. Before you can make the decision you have to make these quick phone calls around — not to the actors directly, but to the agents — saying there’s a possibility I may need some pickups [a.k.a. additional shooting days]. You don’t say why because of the gossip, but of course it was really for something much more significant.”

Scott will reportedly finish shooting on November 29 and told the site that he’ll have to “do a couple of technical things” to make sure voters can see it in time for awards season and said he never considered pushing the release date for the film. He also said that he’s working on another film at the moment, an adaptation of the novel The Cartel, which will begin production in February.

All the Money in the World follows the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother Gail (Michelle Williams) to convince his billionaire grandfather (Christopher Plummer) to pay the ransom. When Getty Sr. refuses, Gail attempts to sway him as her son’s captors become increasingly volatile and brutal. With her son’s life in the balance, Gail and Getty’s advisor (Mark Wahlberg) become unlikely allies in the race against time that ultimately reveals the true and lasting value of love over money.

Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien: Covenant, The Martian, Gladiator) from a script by David Scarpa (The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Last Castle), the true-life drama is based on the book by John Pearson.