Netflix has fired The Fall of the House of Usher actor Frank Langella following sexual harassment and sexual misconduct allegations against the veteran actor. The 84-year-old Tony Award-winning and Oscar-nominated actor apparently made an inappropriate joke besides touching a female co-star.
According to the latest reports, multiple accusations against Langella’s alleged sexual misconduct led to Netflix starting an investigation regarding the same.
Langella made a joke of a “sexual nature” before touching a female co-star’s leg “in the context of his performance, possibly during rehearsal”, according to TMZ. Langella apparently went on to raise his eyebrows jokingly and say something along the lines of “did you like that?”
Following Netflix’s investigation, Langella was promptly fired. Although filming is nearly halfway through, a new actor will be replacing Langella as Roderick Usher.
Langella has been an integral part of Hollywood since the 1960s. In the 1979 Dracula film, he earned his breakthrough before receiving his first-ever nomination for the Best Actor Award at the Academy for his role as President Richard Nixon in Forst/Nixon.
The new actor has not yet been confirmed and the series is currently in production in Canada. Filming is scheduled to end in May 2022, however, the sudden disruption might push back the schedule.
Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s eponymous short story included in his collection named The Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, The Fall of the House of Usher is yet another collaborative project between Mike Flanagan and Netflix.
Flanagan has struck a multi-year deal with Netflix and has entertained viewers with his brilliant limited series like The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass etc. The filmmaker is well known for his equally terrifying films like Gerald’s Game, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Doctor Sleep, Hush etc. Currently, besides Usher, the director is also working on The Midnight Club which is being adapted from Christopher Pike’s 1994 novel.
The upcoming series will have eight episodes of which Flanagan will direct four while the remaining will be directed by his longtime collaborator Michael Fimognari.
The series will be steeped in elements of Gothic horror, madness, isolation, and metaphysical forces centred around the Usher family. Flanagan is known for collaborating with the same actors and many of his past filmography alum is a part of this project, namely Kate Siegel, Carla Gugino, Zach Gilford, Henry Thomas, Annabeth Gish, Rahul Kohli, T’Nia Miller, Michael Trucco, Samantha Soyan etc.
The new cast members include Mark Hamill, Mary McDonnell, Paola Nunez etc.