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Actor Jared Leto is no longer attached to Barry Levinson's political thriller Assassination, with multiple sources telling Page Six that the decision came amid mounting sexual misconduct allegations against the Oscar-winning actor.
According to the report, Leto had been in advanced talks to join the film in 2025 and was "extremely interested" in the project. The actor was reportedly in ongoing discussions with director Barry Levinson, with one source describing the casting as "seeming like a done deal." However, sources cited by Page Six claimed that production executives and Levinson were aware of allegations surrounding Leto and had discussed them internally before initial conversations with the actor. A source close to the production alleged that Leto ultimately lost the role as the growing number of sexual misconduct allegations became impossible to ignore, according to Page Six. Another source familiar with the matter said the poor performance of Leto's 2025 film Tron: Ares may also have factored into the decision, but added, "That may have been an excuse to drop him from the project" following a 2025 Air Mail article in which nine women accused the actor of sexual impropriety. Assassination, starring Bryan Cranston and Brendan Fraser, is based on the true story of journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, who died under mysterious circumstances while investigating the assassination of US President John F Kennedy. The film had previously been delayed because of a lawsuit filed by co-writer and producer Nicholas Celozzi but is expected to move forward. No replacement for Leto has been announced, and the film does not yet have a release date, as per the outlet. The report comes days after the documentary Jared Leto: Hollywood's Dark Secret premiered, featuring ten women who made allegations of sexual misconduct against the actor. According to the documentary, the alleged incidents took place between 2002 and 2016, when the women said they were between the ages of 16 and 18, while Leto was in his 30s and 40s. The documentary follows renewed scrutiny after a 2025 Air Mail article that also included allegations of sexual impropriety against Leto. The New York Post had previously reported in 2005 that the actor was "aggressively pursuing" teen models. Leto has repeatedly denied the allegations made in the Air Mail article as well as the more recent accusations featured in Jared Leto: Hollywood's Dark Secret. Representatives for the actor did not immediately responded, according to Page Six. (ANI)
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