Kevin Spacey's career was effectively ended during the #MeToo movement with even the series that helped launch Netflix into the stratosphere, House of Cards, parting ways with the two-time Oscar winner.
Since then, he's been found not guilty of nine charges of sexual assault and won a $40 million civil lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp in 2022. He'd accused the Spacey of sexual battery, but a New York jury dismissed the claim. Now, despite the accusations, Spacey's name is essentially clear (at least from a legal standpoint).
While the actor's career has yet to resume, he's now booked his first-ever comic book convention appearance according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Spacey will be at the Mad Monster event in Concord, North Carolina, between February 16 - 18. As well as posing for photos with fans, the Superman Returns star (he played Lex Luthor) will also be signing autographs.
Despite being acquitted of those serious allegations, Spacey has largely remained out of the public spotlight. Hollywood insiders remain resolute in their belief that he'll never work in the town again and The Usual Suspects star has mostly stuck to low-budget fare in recent years. However, even that's not been without some controversy after a London cinema cancelled Control's premiere because of Spacey's involvement.
"Amongst the many things that I’ve learned the past handful of years is how much my fans care about me," Spacey said in a statement. "I know I can’t thank each one of them individually, but this is a great step towards doing just that."
The organisers of Mad Monster added, "Kevin Spacey is one of the most sought after actors in the celebrity appearance space. We couldn’t be more excited to be the first to bring him to a show."
There's big money to be made on the convention circuit, even for actors as controversial and divisive as Spacey. For example, he's charging $220 for a photo and even if he only walks away with half of that (the organisers will inevitably take a cut), Spacey stands to make five or perhaps even six figures for a few days' work.
Superman Returns was directed by Bryan Singer and released in 2006. Serving as a continuation of the Christopher Reeve Superman films, Brandon Routh stars as Superman/Clark Kent. The story follows Superman's return to Earth after a prolonged absence to find Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) with a family and the world in need of his heroics. Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey), meanwhile, poses a new threat to the Man of Tomorrow's home.
Would you be down for meeting Spacey at an event like this?