Kevin Spacey 'planning return to big screen' following sexual misconduct allegations

Kevin Spacey is set to return to the big screen for the first time since allegations of sexual assault and misconduct were made against him more than three years ago, according to US media reports.

The Oscar-winning actor, who has strenuously denied claims made against him, is set to appear in an Italian film called L'uomo Che Disegno Dio - The Man Who Drew God.

Director Franco Nero reportedly confirmed Spacey's role in an interview with ABC News, and said he was pleased to have him on board.

"I'm very happy Kevin agreed to participate in my film," Nero told the broadcaster. "I consider him a great actor and I can't wait to start the movie."

Several other reports on the film suggest Spacey is set to play a detective investigating the case of a man wrongly accused of a sex crime.

The film will be shot in Italy and also stars Nero's wife, British star Vanessa Redgrave, sources told ABC.

Spacey, a two-time Oscar winner, has faced multiple accusations and lawsuits over alleged sexual misconduct in recent years and has been largely shunned from the industry, although he has not been convicted of any crime.

He was sacked from Netflix show House Of Cards - with his character killed off - and Sir Ridley Scott erased him from his completed film All The Money In The World, recasting Christopher Plummer in the role and spending millions on reshoots.

In July 2019, prosecutors in Massachusetts dropped a case accusing the actor of sexually assaulting a young man at a US bar in 2016. A case in Los Angeles was dropped later in 2019.

In the UK, Spacey was also being investigated by the Met Police over claims from between 1996 and 2013.

A spokesman for the force said officers referred case files to the Crown Prosecution Service in September 2020.