Kevin Spacey has kicked off his Hollywood comeback in dramatic fashion – taking on the role of a passionate and lethal hitman in risqué new thriller Peter Five Eight, just months after he was cleared of sexually assaulting four men.
In an exclusive first look at the upcoming film, Spacey’s character Peter can be seen disposing of a dead body, holding a woman at knifepoint – and referring to himself as a ‘fallen soul.’
Spacey, 64, plays the hitman, who infiltrates a small town at the behest of his shadowy boss to murder a real estate agent named Sam – an unhinged alcoholic with a very dark secret.
The trailer kicks off with Peter arriving in the small mountain community pretending to view properties – and soon ends up spending the night with Brenda – played by Rebecca De Mornay.
Viewers get a brief glimpse at a raunchy bedroom scene as Peter pushes Brenda up against the wall and kisses her before the video cuts to him taking sneaky photographs of her embracing a young brunette – who appears to be Sam, played by Jet Jandreau.
Things then turn sinister when a mystery man is seen taking a burner phone out of a safe and revealing himself as Peter’s boss, calling him the hitman and telling him to ‘make it messy.’
Peter then snaps the phone in half and throws it down a drain as the trailer cuts to a scene that shows Sam throwing what appears to be a dead body wrapped in a rug into a lake.
When Peter starts showing up at Sam’s house and workplace, she threatens to call the cops, to which he replies: ‘Oh, I think we both know that calling the police isn’t in your best interest is it?’
Spacey’s character is then seen brandishing a sniper gun and chasing Sam in his car, before it cuts to her hiding in a closet with a blood splattered face as he tells her: ‘I’m not here to kill you. If I was, you’d be dead already.’
In a separate scene, Peter tells Sam ‘this is your last chance,’ as he strokes her face and shoots a guy in the street in broad daylight.
Another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment sees Sam crying at the wheel of her car and also being held at knifepoint – presumably by Peter – before a huge explosion takes place.
In the final scene of the action-packed trailer, a woman asks Peter ‘can I help you?’ to which he replies sarcastically: ‘Oh ma’am, I’m afraid there’s no hope for that, I’m a fallen soul.’
A tagline for the movie, which had a budget of $5-10million, teases: ‘In this town, nothing is what it seems,’ while writer and director, Michael Zaiko Hall, described the film as ‘a contemporary film rendered in a 1940’s pulp-melodrama style.’
He said: ‘Rebecca De Mornay, Jake Weber and Jet Jandreau all play wonderfully in this world – while Kevin Spacey has crafted a unique and memorable character for his fans to enjoy.’
Referring to the independent film company behind the movie, Hall added: ‘We’re thrilled that Invincible Entertainment will be bringing this story to the big screen in March.’
In the past, Spacey has worked with some of the industry’s biggest production companies including DreamWorks, Universal, and Warner Bros.
DailyMail.com exclusively revealed back in September 2023 that Spacey was plotting a Hollywood comeback.
The American Beauty star was dramatically cleared of sexually assaulting four men on July 26 when the jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court returned not guilty verdicts on all counts.
Spacey was accused of abusing his fame and power to carry out nine sex attacks on four men during his tenure as artistic director of the Old Vic theatre. But he insisted the claims were ‘madness’ and accused the claimants of ‘lying for money.’
On the steps of the court after the verdicts were delivered, The Usual Suspects actor thanked the jury and his legal team, as well as his loyal manager and longtime friend Evan Lowenstein for standing by him.
He said: ‘I imagine that many of you can understand that there’s a lot for me to process after what has just happened today. But I would like to say that I’m enormously grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts, carefully, before they reached their decision.
‘I am humbled by the outcome today. I also want to thank the staff inside this courthouse, the security, my legal team and Evan Lowenstein for being here every day.’
The allegations not only shredded what had been a glittering showbiz career – but also had major financial implications, with the star ordered to pay £25.5million to the producers of House of Cards after he was sacked from the hit show.
He was also given at least £1million in defense fees and suffered the humiliation of being edited out of the Sir Ridley Scott film, All The Money In The World. Earlier in the trial, Spacey had told the jury: ‘I’ve lost everything.’
Following the not guilty verdicts, Spacey placed his hand on his chest, looked at the jury and mouthed ‘thank you’ twice before they left the room.
Spacey wasted no time in getting back to work and last month it was announced that he will be making his first ever appearance at the three-day horror convention Mad Monster Party 2024, which runs from February 16-18 in North Carolina.
The convention announced the news on its social media accounts, with a photo featuring the actor with blood dripping down his hand.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
