Kevin Spacey will appear as a character named “The Devil” in Italian director Massimo Paolucci’s psychological thriller “The Contract,” which just wrapped principal photography in Rome.
The English-language film, described in a statement as having a similar storyline as Alan Parker’s “Angel Heart” and Taylor Hackford’s “The Devil’s Advocate,” also stars Eric Roberts and Vincent Spano, Italian production company TM Entertainment said.
Spacey arrived in Rome last December to shoot “The Contract.”
Reps for Spacey, Roberts and Spano did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The “House of Cards” star’s career imploded amid allegations of sexual misconduct in 2017, but he has since been found not liable in an October 2022 lawsuit brought by “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp and was declared not guilty in a U.K. sexual assault trial in July 2023. He will soon be back on U.S. movie screens with indie thriller “Peter Five Eight,” also starring Rebecca de Mornay, which goes on limited U.S. release March 22. The film marks Spacey’s first leading role since being cleared in the London trial.
In “The Contract,” Spacey plays a character named “The Devil,” which according to the statement is somewhat akin to Al Pacino’s role in “Devil’s Advocate” as satan who takes the guise of a human lawyer, and that of Robert De Niro in “Angel Heart,” a satanicbusinessman who hires a seedy gumshoe detective to descend into hell. Producers Massimiliano Caroletti and Sandro Lazzarini said they “courted” Spacey for eight months to convince him to play the role.
“The Contract” director Paolucci’s previous works include action film “All in One Day,” which plays on Prime Video in Italy; horror-crime movie “Medium”; and slasher/horror “Photoshock.” Paolucci also served as a line producer on Dario Argento’s much maligned flop “Dracula 3D.”
Spacey returned to acting after 2017 by playing a police detective in Italian low-budget indie drama “The Man Who Drew God,” directed by Franco Nero. He also had a voiceover role in Gene Fallaize’s indie thriller “Control.”
