The 58-year-old double Oscar winner, who plays ruthless President Francis Underwood in the hit show, is facing claims from actor Anthony Rapp that he “made a sexual advance” at a party 31 years ago while Rapp was underage.

“Season six is our last season,” a spokeswoman told AFP.

A source with knowledge of the issue told AFP however that the decision to end the series was unrelated to the allegations, having been made before they came to light.

Starring alongside Robin Wright, Spacey is also executive producer of the platform’s flagship series, which is adapted from a BBC drama of the same name and has earned 46 Emmy nominations and Golden Globes for its lead couple.

Netflix doesn’t release viewing figures. But the show has marked out its place in television history as the company’s debut in original programming, which has grown to include other highly regarded shows such as “Stranger Things” and “Orange is the New Black.”

Filming for season six is under way in Maryland, with season six expected to drop next year. No premiere date has yet been set but “House of Cards” has never debuted later than May.

Rapp, 46, told Buzzfeed that in 1986, while both he and Spacey were performing on Broadway, Spacey invited the then 14-year-old to a party at his New York home. Spacey would have been 26 at the time.

Rapp said he was in Spacey’s bedroom watching TV when Spacey, apparently drunk, came in after all the other guests had left, and lay on top of him.

“He was trying to seduce me,” Rapp told Buzzfeed. “I don’t know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.”

Spacey apologized on Twitter, and went on to say that Rapp’s accusation “encouraged me to address other things about my life” before confirming that he was gay.

His comments prompted a backlash from critics who accused him of deflecting from his misdeed by finally coming out, while reports suggested that he may face other accusers.

Netflix and “House of Cards” production company Media Rights Capital issued a joint statement saying they were “deeply troubled” the allegations against Spacey, who is currently not scheduled to be on set.

“In response to last night’s revelations, executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported,” it said.

Despite typhoon Lan’s best efforts to disrupt life in the Japanese capital last week, the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival kicked off as scheduled on Wednesday successfully with the screening of a 10-minute excerpt from Chinese auteur Chen Kaige’s latest, “Legend of the Demon Cat”, slated for release next year, and Fumihiko Sori’s live action version of the well-known anime “Full Metal Alchemist”.

Thai movies were once again in evidence at this year’s event, with three selected for screening in festival programmes outside the main competition. The Asian Future competition, which focuses on first and second time Asian filmmakers, saw the premiere on Sunday of Prabda Yoon’s second feature “Someone from Nowhere”. Also showing in the section are Wichanon Somunjarn’s “In April the Following Year, There was a Fire” and Kirsten Tan’s “Pop-Aye”. Cinema enthusiasts will remember that in 2015, Pimpaka Towira’s “The Island Funeral” picked up the Best Asian Future Film Award.

A low-budget project produced by Cattleya Paosrijaroen and Soros Sukhum’s 185 Films, “Someone from Nowhere” takes place in a single room. At a condominium somewhere in Bangkok, Napatsorn (Chayanit Chansangavej), a young woman in her 20s, is about to go to work when she finds a man (Peerapol Kijreunpiromsuk) lying injured in front of her door.

As the man enters her room, Napatsorn starts to realise that he isn’t there by accident. He intends to reclaim his ownership of the room, even though Napatsorn insists she bought the studio apartment and is the rightful owner. The confrontation between the two culminates in an unexpected situation.

“This film stems from an idea that has been with me for a long time”, says Prabda of his inspiration for the feature. “I wanted to write a story about someone who takes over the front doorstep of other people’s houses and then intrudes, developing a relationship with the owner without the two knowing each other before.”

“Somewhere from Nowhere” is in essence a film about ownership and the right to ownership, a situation that can happen to both an individual and a nation. “As an artist, I use the film to question ownership of imagination and the borders between truth and reality. And even while I was writing the screenplay, disputes flared up all over the world, like with Japan’s ownership of an island,” Prabda explains.

One of the most important props is the print of Henri Rousseau’s painting “The Snake Charmer”.

“Rousseau had very an interesting background. He wasn’t trained professionally as an artist and I think it’s interesting how he never went anywhere, but was able to paint things he had never seen in his real life. It fits with the concept of the film. I also like his works and finally I am able to use his work in my film,” Prabda says.

Just as in his previous picture, “Motel Mist”, Prabda decided to work with new faces rather than big stars, choosing for “Someone From Nowhere”, Chayanit “Pat” Chansangavej, a new generation actress from GDH’s television series “Project S”.

Chayanit, who is making her feature film debut in “Someone from Nowhere”, came to Tokyo to walk the red carpet, but left early as she was committed to filming a TV show in Korea.

“This film has many limitations in time and budget. I had very short time for the casting process. I had seen Chayanit’s work and asked her to come for the casting. I decided very fast that it had to be her,” Prabda says.

The mysterious man is portrayed by stage actor Peerapol “Apom” Kijreunpiromsuk.

“I had seen Apom’s performance and felt he would understand the concept of this film, and I asked Apom and Chayanit to act together. They had the kind of on-screen chemistry I was looking for so I decided to choose them.”

Apom adds that working with Prabda was a dream. “Some directors are not always clear about what they want to do, but with Prabda, we talked about what he wanted in the film before we started work. Prabda guided me well during the filming and working with him was easy.”

The world premiere of “Someone from Nowhere” at Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills was packed. Ishizaka Kenji, the programming director of Asian Future section at Tokyo International Film Festival. said he was excited to have one of Prabda’s works in his selection.

“His books have been translated into Japanese and we all are very interested to see what he comes up with for the big screen. Maybe he can create a trend like Apichatpong Weerasethakul. I think it will be interesting to see what he makes in the future.”

“We are so proud to have Prabda film in the selection as the movie is very charismatic. It is very unique, very artistic and I enjoyed it a lot,” added Yoshi Yatabe, the programming director of Main competition section of Tokyo International Film Festival.

“He is already a well-known Thai writer and through his film, the Japanese audience will discover more about him.”

The 30th Tokyo International Film Festival ends on Friday with the announcement of the winners in all programmes. The film that takes home the Best Asian Future Film Award will also receive US$10,000 (Bt340,000).

“Jigsaw,” the eighth chapter in Lionsgate’s “Saw” horror franchise, took in an estimated $16.3 million over the three-day weekend, according to industry website Exhibitor Relations. It beat out the same studio’s “Boo 2! A Madea Halloween,” with $10 million.

But after that, no film in the top 10 made as much as $6 million, with audiences distracted by baseball’s World Series and the hugely popular Netflix series “Stranger Things.” Even “Jigsaw” fell some $4 million below expectations in its opening weekend, Variety.com reported.

That movie, the first “Saw” sequel in seven years, has police investigating a string of horrific murders committed in the style of the supposedly long-dead killer Jigsaw. Made for just $10 million, the film is already in the black.

“Boo 2” strikes a somewhat lighter tone. The comedy horror sequel has Tyler Perry (who also wrote, directed and produced it) and his gang heading to a haunted campground, where — no surprise — monsters lurk.

“Geostorm,” a new release from Warner Bros., took third place, earning $5.7 million. The sci-fi disaster thriller follows Gerard Butler as a satellite designer tasked with saving the world from an apocalyptic storm caused by climate-controlling satellites run amok.

“Happy Death Day,” another comedy horror flick, took in $5.1 million. The Universal film stars Jessica Rothe as a college student who repeatedly relives the day she was murdered until she discovers who killed her.

In fifth place was sci-fi reboot “Blade Runner: 2049,” taking $4 million.

The film features Ryan Gosling as a Los Angeles Police Department “blade runner” charged with killing bioengineered androids who are becoming too much like humans. He goes on a search for Harrison Ford’s character — the original blade runner — who had disappeared years earlier.

With ticket sales in October some 5 percent below the same month last year, Hollywood is eagerly awaiting next week’s domestic premiere of Marvel and Disney’s “Thor: Ragnarok.” It took in an impressive $108 million in its international opening.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“Thank You for Your Service” ($3.7 million)

“Only the Brave” ($3.5 million)

“The Foreigner” ($3.2 million)

“Suburbicon” ($2.8 million)

“It” ($2.5 million)

Inarritu will receive the golden statuette for his six-minute immersive experience “Carne y Arena” (Virtually Present, Physically Invisible), describing it as “a visionary and powerful experience in storytelling.”

The award will be presented to the director and his cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki at the 9th Annual Governors Awards in Hollywood on November 11.

“Carne y Arena,” which is currently on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) as well as the Fondazione Prada in Milan and Tlatelolco Cultural Center in Mexico City, takes viewers on the harrowing trek many migrants undertake through the Sonoran desert in the US.

As sirens wail, each participant — barefoot on the sandy ground and wearing VR goggles — experiences the journey alone, joined only by a small band of virtual people hoping to reach America.

Border guards armed to the teeth separate the men from the women and the children. Their abandoned shoes litter the ground, as one person screams out in pain and a tragedy looms.

The exhibit has proven a huge hit and tickets in Los Angeles have been sold out for months.

“Inarritu’s multimedia art and cinema experience is a deeply emotional and physically immersive venture into the world of migrants crossing the desert of the American southwest in early dawn light,” Academy president John Bailey said in a statement.

“More than even a creative breakthrough in the still emerging form of virtual reality, it viscerally connects us to the hot-button political and social realities of the US-Mexico border,” he added.

The Mexican filmmaker won back-to-back Oscars for “Birdman” in 2015 and “The Revenant” in 2016, becoming only the third director to accomplish such a feat.

Given to him by his wife Joanne Woodward and lovingly inscribed while the couple filmed and co-starred in the 1969 movie “Winning,” Newman was photographed wearing the iconic stainless steel watch on countless occasions.

Auction house Phillips said it was snapped up late Thursday in New York by an anonymous telephone buyer for $17.8 million after 12 minutes of frenzied bidding in a sale that attracted collectors from more than 40 countries.

But if it’s the most expensive wristwatch sold at auction, a handcrafted Patek Philippe pocket watch made for New York banker Henry Graves remains the most expensive overall, fetching more than $24 million at Sotheby’s in 2014.

Before giving her husband the watch, Woodward had the words “Drive Carefully Me” engraved on the back, in a nod to her anxiety over his fast driving three years after he was injured in a 1965 motorcycle accident.

It was on the set of “Winning,” when Newman played an IndyCar driver, that the actor developed a life-long love of auto racing.

He used the watch, known as the Paul Newman Daytona, to time races and bet with friends that his watch was more accurate than theirs, Phillips said.

In 1984 it seemingly disappeared from Newman’s wrist when his wife bought him a new watch, a black, non-exotic dial Cosmograph Daytona.

But that summer he gave the watch to his daughter Nell’s then boyfriend, James Cox. The couple dated for nearly a decade after first meeting in college.

Newman gifted the watch when he discovered that Cox — who was helping build a treehouse at the actor’s property in Westport, Connecticut — did not own one.

“Pop handed James his Rolex and said, ‘If you can remember to wind this each day, it tells pretty good time,'” wrote Nell in a signed letter accompanying the sale.

In a toast to His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej – and as an appeal to people to follow his advice, including doing good deeds – Boon Rawd Brewery and Singha Corp have put together three short films based the monarch’s musical compositions.

“Kham Laew Waew Sieng … Nai Duang Jai Nirand” combines “Kham Laew” (based on and named for the King’s “Lullaby”), “Waew” (from “Echo”) and “Nai Duangjai Nirand” (from “Still on My Mind”).

Three advertising directors at the breweries Pornpipat Luksanasut, Alongod Uabhaibool and Rajit Saeng-Xuto – became movie directors and personally selected the tunes to illustrate cinematically.

“We let the three use their own creativity,” says Nathawan Teepsuwan, the public relations chief at Boon Rawd. “We asked them to show how all that His Majesty did for the people of Thailand touches our daily lives, as if he will always be with us, always be in our hearts.”

Pornpipat’s “Kham Laew” features the tune of the same name (“Lullaby” in English) as its soundtrack, as sung by Supattra Korat. Alongod’s “Waew Sieng” taps Jaruwan Boonyarak to sing “Echo”. And Rajit’s “Nai Duang Jai Nirand” has Thanachai “Pod” Ujjin singing “Still on My Mind”.

“Because ‘Kham Laew’ actually is a lullaby, I came up with stories about families in four different parts of Thailand facing four different situations – all on the same full-moon night,” says Pornpipat.

In one, Phen struggles to balance her new job as a nurse with her responsibility towards her mother, who lives far away. In the second, a single mother in Bangkok faces the same difficulty between earning a living and raising her little daughter, Luna.

In the third, a man from the Northeast working in Bangkok tries to keep alive his relations with his wife and daughter back home. The last story is about a fisherman’s son who has to choose between helping his dad on the boat and partying with friends.

Like Phen and Luna, all the main characters’ names mean “the moon”, signifying the guiding light King Bhumibol provided for his people.

“Lullaby” is the longest of the short films. The others are closer in length to music videos and have no dialogue.

Alongod chose “Waew Sieng” because he felt it was too little known among the royal compositions.

“I want the younger generation, especially teenagers, to appreciate His Majesty’s great talent in music, so I gave this short film a music-video feel. His Majesty wrote ‘Echo’ with English lyrics, and yet, compared with other royal compositions, we rarely hear it.”

“Waew Sieng” portrays four situations often encountered in daily life – a student is bored with studying, teenagers fight, drivers suffer road rage, and a businessman accepts bribes from contractors.

All of these people are just about to do something awful, but then hear an “echo” from the sky and remember what the late King always advised Thais – to be good and to do good.

Alongod has previously worked on music videos and TV commercials and directed the features “Khoo Thae Patiharn” (“The Whistle”) and “Yaak Dai Yin Wa Rak Kan” (“Best Supporting Actor”).

Rajit’s “Nai Duang Jai Nirand” takes its title to heart as well. King Bhumibol will indeed remain on people’s minds.

“His Majesty is in the wind, the warm sunlight, the rain, every moment, everywhere,” producer Buranee Rachjaibun says on Rajit’s behalf.

“The film uses natural sound sources to form the melody of the song. People come from different backgrounds and have different understandings about things, but this film portrays the various aspects of life and different places that will remind us of the late King. And, together, we have to keep going forward.

“The lyrics to ‘Nai Duang Jai Nirand’ are very meaningful and cover a range of emotions,” Buranee says. “In the short film, the story is quite touching. It reminds us that, even though we are grieving and feel lost, we’ll be able to feel His Majesty’s kindness always and forever.”

Boon Rawd and Singha have for several years collaborated on projects honouring King Bhumibol’s musical talent. They produced the documentary “Kitaraja”, the four-part film “Kita Rajaniphon”, and “Phonjakfah” (“A Gift”), made for them by studio GDH.  They’ve also organised Pro Musica Junior Camps annually since 2014, at which youngsters learn to play His Majesty’s compositions in classical music arrangements.

The “Kham Laew Waew Sieng … Nai Duang Jai Nirand” series can be seen on Singha’s Facebook page, Line TV and other video channels both online and on terrestrial TV.

Thai cinema giant Sahamongkolfilm International has produced a movie about His Majesty the late King Bhumibol that will be screened for free beginning tomorrow at theatres throughout the land.

Sahamongkolfilm president Somsak Techarattanaprasert says he put Nonzee “Oui” Nimibutr in charge of producing and co-directing “Khong Khwan”, the studio’s way of paying its respects to the beloved monarch.

Nonzee says he set out to “pass forward our love for and loyalty to His Majesty, to Thais in all four regions of the country – it’s like our khong khwan [gift] to them”.

He assembled a directing team – Chookiat “Ma-Deaw” Sakveerakul from the North, Prachya Pinkaew from the Northeast and Kongkiat Khomsiri from the South, with Nonzee himself representing the Central region – to brainstorm about areas of focus and ways to reach every citizen.

“So we really have four movies with four points of view and four expressions of emotion.”

Nonzee says he was “excited” when Somsak told him he wanted to invest in the project and that everyone would get to see it for free for a month. But Chookiat laughs that he initially thought the idea of free screenings was “crazy”.

“Once I understood the intent, though, I felt honoured to be part of the project.”

Kongkiat’s first reactions were fear and tension – “because I didn’t know any of the royal vocabulary. Then I read several stories about the late King and overcame my worries. It became a way of expressing my loyalty to His Majesty.”

“Khong Khwan” begins with “The Letter”, the segment Prachya directed, about a rural lad undertaking a journey so he can send a letter to his distant “father” – the late King, who was revered as the father of all Thais.

Nonzee’s “Dokmai Nai Kong Khaya” (“Beautiful Garbage”) follows, illustrating how a family’s love and warmth can help build a sustainable society, no matter how well off or how poor the family.

Kongkiat’s “Sajja Thoranee” (“The Truth in the Country”) depicts a young woman learning about her father’s background and finding faith in life.

“Mek Fon Bon Pa Nuea” (“Rain Clouds over the Northern Forest”), by Chookiat is about a group of students who want to conserve nature but end up in conflict with landowners.

Nonzee says the directors’ brainstorming began with a discussion on what they appreciated most about the late King’s frequent guidance. “He spoke mainly about the need to do good and about knowing what our individual duty is. I ended up in tears reading the scripts.

“My segment is about someone who society considers useless, and yet he’s a good guy. Most people wonder why they’re not as rich or as happy as others, but we don’t consider the people in lower social positions.

“‘Dokmai Nai Kong Khaya’ is about the beauty in dirtiness, the beautiful flower growing in a disgusting garbage dump. If we have a loving family, we can overcome obstacles and get out of bad situations. So I have a father who works as a trash collector, played by Surasak Wongthai, raising a daughter who doesn’t understand him.”

Surasak’s co-stars are Arisara Wongchalee, Tanapak Jongjaiphar and Chanikarn Tungkobdee.

Chookiat’s segment features Oabnithi Wiwattanawarang, Isaya Horsuwan and Chawinroj Likitcharoensakul. In it, he ponders the late King’s royal projects, which could bring wasteland to life.

“I thought about rain clouds and that linked to the idea of a teenager pursuing his dream as a matter of belief or faith, running along with the rain,” Chookiat says.

“His Majesty said, ‘Wherever we are bringing development, we should learn about the needs of the local people so that the development will be effective and sustainable.’ Social conflicts can be resolved if we get to understand each other better, and my segment is about students who’ve volunteered to help with a reforestation project. But they come into conflict with the villagers by encroaching on their farmland.”

Prachya’s “The Letter” stars Teerapoj Tuansawad as the Isaan boy who writes an admiring missive to the late King.

“It’s like a small adventure, like a Disney movie,” Prachya says. “Everybody was always happy during the shoot. Anytime you do a project about the late King, everybody in the vicinity is in a good mood, because it lets them enjoy those special feelings he aroused.”

Kongkiat’s “Sajja Thoranee”, co-written with Sudthasit Podthasak, features Monkolchai Yukol, Natchapat Sangrit and Anchalee Hassadeevichit.

“The theme is discovering your family roots, knowing where you come from,” says the director. “Whatever we do, we have to know our true identity, but these days there is so much deception about sharing our true identities.

“The soil never lies, though, and His Majesty was always keen about developing the soil. The name Bhumibol refers to ‘Palang Khong Paendin’ [‘The Powers of Earth’], so I decided to make a story of the soil. Monkolchai plays a Muslim father and presents a puzzle in the story. Anchalee is a mother harbouring his secret, and newcomer Natchapat is their teenage daughter, who wants to know why people regard her father as bad.”

Cheewin “Boyd” Kosiyabong composed a tune especially for the movie, “Song Tor Khwam Rak” (“Pass the Love Forward”). It’s sung by Nop Ponchamni, Saksit Vejsupaporn, Suveera Boonrod, Witwisit Hiranyawongkul, Thanon Chamroen, Krissada Sukosol Clapp, Akaradej Yodjampa (aka Kong Huayrai), Rungrat Mengpanit and Worrawech Danuwong.

Be there early enough

– “Khong Khwan” will be screened at all outlets of Major Cineplex and SF Cinema beginning tomorrow.

– Everyone who arrives at least an hour before screening time is entitled to two free passes.

– You can see the trailer at https://youtu.be/VDSaOzzHB6Y and the music video at https://youtu.be/svhgbPIGceA.

Starring Tyler Perry — who also wrote, directed and produced the comedy horror sequel — “Boo 2!” sees Madea and the gang head to a haunted campsite, only then to have to escape monsters lurking there.

With takings of $21.2 million, “Boo 2!” is the tenth Perry title to snatch the top spot on its opening weekend, Deadline reports.

“Geostorm” — another new release — took second place, but it was a disappointing opening for the latest offering from Warner Bros., with earnings of $13.7 million.

The sci-fi disaster thriller follows Gerard Butler as a satellite designer tasked with saving the world from an apocalyptic storm — caused by climate controlling satellites attacking the planet.

Meanwhile, “Happy Death Day” dropped to third place from last week’s top spot — with takings plummeting from $26 million to $9.4 million.

Starring Jessica Rothe, the comedy slasher follows a college student who repeatedly relives the day she was murdered until she discovers who killed her.

Sitting in fourth was Warner Bros.’s “Blade Runner: 2049,” which halved its earnings for the second weekend running, taking $7.4 million.

The sci-fi reboot features Ryan Gosling as a new Los Angeles Police Department “blade runner” charged with killing bioengineered androids known as “replicants.”

After uncovering a secret that threatens society, he embarks on a search for Harrison Ford’s character, a former blade runner who disappeared 30 years ago.

In at fifth was Sony’s new release “Only The Brave,” starring Josh Brolin, with earnings of $6 million.

Based on a true story, the drama tells the tale of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of firefighters in Arizona who battle to protect a town from an historic wildfire.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“The Foreigner” ($5.8 million)

“It” ($3.5 million)

“The Snowman” ($3.4 million)

“American Made” ($3.1 million)

“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” ($3 million)

Toback reeled them in with boasts about his movie career and connections, as well as claims he could make them a star, according to their accounts to the Los Angeles Times.

But in meetings framed as interviews or auditions, he allegedly would turn disturbingly personal, with questions veering to masturbation and pubic hair, the Times said.

“He told me he’d love nothing more than to masturbate while looking into my eyes,” Louise Post, who met Toback in 1987 while attending Barnard College, told the Times.

“Going to his apartment has been the source of shame for the past 30 years, that I allowed myself to be so gullible,” said Post, who is now a guitarist and singer for Veruca Salt, an indie rock band.

Toback denied the allegations, telling the Times he had never met the women, or if he did, it “was for five minutes and (I) have no recollection.” His representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Toback, now 72, has been a writer and film director since 1974. His most recent movie, “The Private Life of a Modern Woman,” starring Sienna Miller, premiered this year at the Venice Film Festival.

In 1987, he made the semi-autobiographical “The Pick-up Artist,” and other credits include the Oscar-nominated screenplay for “Bugsy,” directed by Barry Levinson and starring Warren Beatty and Annette Bening.

‘Intimidating power’

The Times said it interviewed all 38 women who came forth separately — 31 of them on the record — as well as people they had spoken with about the incidents at the time.

None had reported the encounters to the police at the time.

A cascade of accounts by women of sexual abuse has flooded social media under the hashtag #MeToo since a similar scandal surrounding movie mogul Harvey Weinstein erupted earlier this month.

A Who’s Who of actresses and models have come forward to accuse Weinstein of rape, sexual assault and harassment, and of using his intimidating power in Hollywood to keep his behavior hushed up.

Weinstein, who is reported to have checked himself into a rehab program in Arizona for sexual addiction, insists all his sexual encounters have been consensual.

Criminal investigations in his case are underway in London, Los Angeles and New York.

The scandal has prompted fresh calls for justice from 46-year-old former child star Corey Feldman, who took to social media on Thursday last week to share his own experience of abuse.

“4 THE RECORD: I WILL NOT B GOING ON A TALK SHOW 2 DISCLOSE NAMES OF MY ABUSER OR ANY1 ELSES ABUSERS. SO PLEASE STOP ASKING ME 2 DO SO,” he said, launching into a seven-message Twitter tirade.

Hollywood ‘pedophile ring’

He went on to say he had been “mocked & shamed” and had his career destroyed for campaigning against what he describes as a Hollywood pedophile ring that abused him as a child.

Feldman says he and fellow child star Corey Haim, who died in 2010, were abused by studio executives as they were making a name for themselves, including “some of the most richest, most powerful people in this business.”

Filmmaker Paul Haggis (“Million Dollar Baby,” “Crash”) told the London-based Guardian newspaper he didn’t believe sexual harassment and abuse were endemic, but added that Feldman’s accusations merited serious investigation.

“Were people covering for pedophiles, too? We have to think that may have happened as well, because no one speaks out about being abused just to benefit their career,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hollywood’s Agency for the Performing Arts placed talent manager Tyler Grasham on leave, according to the Hollywood Reporter, after he was accused of sexually assaulting and harassing several young, male clients.

And Reese Witherspoon weighed into the scandal last week in a speech to an Elle Women in Hollywood event in Beverly Hills, during which she revealed she was attacked by a director when she was 16 — the first of “multiple experiences of harassment and sexual assault.”

Two new women have also emerged to accuse Oscar-winning French-Polish director Roman Polanski of sexually assaulting them in the early 1970s, when they were 10 and 15.

Polanski’s lawyer Herve Temime said his client was innocent of all “baseless accusations” of sexual misconduct apart from the statutory rape of Samantha Geimer, for which he has been on the run from US authorities for four decades.

Polanski, 84, fled the United States in 1978 before he could be sentenced after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with Geimer.

Netflix will follow the most compelling stories and characters in the club, spending personal and professional time with the players both on and off the field, on the road, at home and wherever it takes to capture in depth the real lives that make the Juventus one of the most fascinating teams in the world.

Fans and supporters worldwide will have access to the club “behind the scenes” and will feel closer than ever not only to some of the greatest footballers in history but also to the club that has won six straight league titles.

“It’s a source of pride that Juventus is the first football club to be the subject of a Netflix Original Documentary,” said Federico Palomba, Co-Chief Revenue Officer at the club. “Collaborations of this kind confirm our passion for innovation and being, in every sense, a Sport Entertainment brand. In this way, we are determined to reach fans across the world and millions of Netflix users, who thanks to this docu-series can get to know Juventus from every angle.

“Juventus FC will give audiences a profound understanding of the players, the coaches and management on a deeply personal level that we expect will be groundbreaking.”

Following on the production of other series in Europe, including “Suburra” and the upcoming “Dark”, the Juventus FC docu-series will continue Netflix’s investment in international and Italian content.

Erik Barmack, Vice President of International original series at Netflix said, “Netflix is the home of passionate storytelling, and there are no more passionate fans than the tifosi of the bianconeri. We are excited to have unique, exclusive access to one of the most important squads in the world.”