5RB‘s Christina Michalos discusses performers’ and actors’ moral rights in the light of director Ridley Scott’s decision to cut and replace Kevin Spacey (following allegations against him of sexual harassment) with the actor Christopher Plummer in the film All The Money In the World.
Replacing actors and finishing a film with other actors has a long history going back to 1937 when Jean Harlow died aged 26 during the filming of ‘Saratoga’ and the film was finished using stand-ins.
The future may see star performers trying to negotiate a ‘reverse disrepute clause’—a term of the contract which would allow the performer to terminate the arrangement if the company engaging them falls into disrepute or acts in a scandalous manner.
This article was first published by Lexis Nexis on 9th August 2017 and is reproduced with kind permission of Lexis Nexis.
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