Mike Flanagan’s Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher is looking for a new lead after Frank Langella left the production following the completion of an investigation into accusations of sexual harassment by the veteran actor. Deadline reported the departure of the star from the series, which is already halfway through filming, and that the role of Roderick Usher will now be recast and scenes involving the character re-shot. In the meantime, work on the series will continue and work around any scenes involving the head of the Usher family until a replacement is found.
Reports first appeared on TMZ earlier this week that Langella was the subject of a misconduct investigation. The star was accused of making inappropriate comments to a female co-star while working on set. According to the new report, the investigation concluded that the actor’s behavior on set had been unacceptable, and Netflix took action to remove him from his role as the patriarch of the Ushers.
So far, there have been no comments made by the 84-year-old or his representatives, and Netflix was reported to have declined to comment on the investigation or the dismissal of Langella. It is not known when the actor’s replacement will be announced or who will be taking over the pivotal role alongside the series’ other stars, including Carla Gugino, Mary McDonnell, Carl Lumbly and Mark Hamill.
The Fall of the House of Usher Will Adapt a Number of Edgar Allen Poe Tales
Following the success of Midnight Mass last year, it did not take long for Mike Flanagan to announce his next horror project for Netflix, an adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of The House of Usher, a gothic tale of greed, horror and madness – the trademark of many of Poe’s works – and while the eight-part series will take its title from one story, there will be threads of several other Poe stories interwoven. He previously said:
Mike Flanagan created a similar successful concoction with his The Haunting of series, taking the bare bones of a story and fleshing it out with additional material to create something both old and new at the same time. Having had a string of successful projects as part of a deal with Netflix, even following the setback of Langella’s departure, there is no doubt that The Fall of the House of Usher will add to that list, although there is currently no date set for its release.
“This miniseries is a modern remix of some of the most iconic works of Edgar Allan Poe. This miniseries is unique for Intrepid, we’ve never done anything quite like this before. I’m so grateful to be working with my long-time collaborator Michael Fimognari, who will be directing four of the eight episodes, and my producing partner and executive producer Trevor Macy. We’ll see you on the other side. In the meantime, dim the lights, light a fire, and just imagine a deep voice in the dark, quietly intoning… ‘Once upon a midnight dreary…’”
