Kelvin Spacey axed from Ridley Scott’s new $40 million blockbuster movie SIX WEEKS before release (Details, pics)

Kevin Spacey has been replaced by Christopher Plummer in All The Money In The World, just six weeks before the big-budget movie's release date. The actor, 58, has been written out of the film in a bold move by director Ridley Scott in the wake of multiple sexual assault allegations.

The cast and crew have all agreed to re-shoot Spacey's scenes, and are said to be 'determined' to stick to the December 22 release date, Deadline reports. Sources close to the production claim the re-shoots are commencing immediately, with Plummer, 87, taking on the role of late oil tycoon J. Paul Getty.

The Hollywood Reporter claims director Scott 'made the decision unilaterally and only notified Sony of his decision on late Wednesday afternoon'. The publication also said Plummer was originally the first choice for the role, but studio executives wanted a bigger name, which is why Spacey came on board.

The move comes after the movie was pulled from the prestigious closing night slot of the AFI Festival this month, and had its awards campaign halted. The actor shot eight days and many of the movie's scenes feature just him. It is not yet clear how Scott will bring about the swap at such short notice.

One of the key problems facing the production crew will be visual effects, seeing as how many of Spacey’s scenes were shot in different locations. The production also used prosthetics to transform Spacey into the ultra-wealthy oil tycoon.

Set predominantly in Rome, Italy, in 1973, the movie details the story of Getty refusing to pay a $17 million ransom when his grandson was kidnapped at the age of 16, despite being the richest man in the world at the time.

Michelle Williams plays the part of Gail Harris, the mother of John Paul Getty III, while Mark Wahlberg plays ex-CIA agent Fletcher Chase.

Getty argued that if he were to pay the ransom then his remaining 14 grandchildren could also be kidnapped for the same reason.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Academy Award winner Spacey gushed over the performance, saying: 'It was one of the most remarkable experiences that I’ve had as an actor.' Spacey said he dived deep into research of Getty's life and realized the man wasn't exactly who the public perceived him to be. He said: 'I really felt like I was able to become this man. This for me stands out as a particularly unique experience.'

The change in strategy comes amid new sexual assault allegations throughout Spacey's 11 years as artistic director of the Old Vic theater in London. Spacey's behavior has come under the spotlight since Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp, 46, alleged Spacey made inappropriate sexual advances toward him in 1986, when he was 14.Spacey responded by saying he doesn't remember the encounter but if he acted the way Rapp alleges, 'I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.'

He also spoke publicly for the first time about being gay, which draw backlash from some observers as an attempt at deflection.

Since Rapp made his allegations, Spacey has been hit by at least 13 other claims, with eight men on the record and another six revealing their run-ins with the actor anonymously.

Others accusing Spacey include Richard Dreyfus's son Harry, who said in a November 4 BuzzFeed piece that Spacey grasped at his genitals - with his father in the room - in 2008 in London at Spacey's apartment there.

A filmmaker named Tony Montana, speaking with USA TODAY on November 1, said the American Beauty actor 'grabbed my whole package... hard' at a bar in Los Angeles fourteen years ago, telling him at the time, 'This designates ownership.'

Harry wrote, 'Kevin Spacey is a sexual predator. But I still never thought talking about it seriously was ever an option.' And on Wednesday, a bartender named Daniel Beal revealed about a run-in he had as a 19-year-old bartender serving the K-PAX actor at a hotel in West Sussex.

Beal said of Spacey: 'He pulled my hand towards his crotch area, and then as I said, "What the hell are you doing," he could not get his genitalia out quick enough.'

Beal said Spacey ultimately gave him a $6,500 watch in what he perceived to be an effort to keep him quiet about the alleged assault.