House of Cards: Netflix scraps Doug Stamper spinoff series
Actor Michael Kelly confirms the new TV show won't proceed
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Your support makes all the difference.Netflix has cancelled plans to make a House of Cards spinoff series focused on character Doug Stamper.
The series was confirmed to be in the works at the streaming service after Kevin Spacey was fired following multiple allegations of sexual assault.
However, actor Michael Kelly has confirmed the project will not proceed.
“There was talk of a spinoff for a while, and we went well down the road on that. And I would’ve liked to have played him more, but when they decided not to do that, I was okay,” he told Variety. “I was really okay with it. I felt like I had done him justice, and it was an incredibly rewarding experience.”
The actor will reprise the role for a final time in the sixth season of the political drama which will be the show's swansong. Refklectono n saying goodbye to the character he's played since 2010, Kelly said: “It was tough. I’ll admit it. It was very hard to say goodbye to that character because I’ve loved playing that guy. I’ve had the best time on that show. It is, professionally, the most rewarding thing in all aspects for me, of my career, of my just doing it. Just getting to go to work with those people every day for six years, I’ll miss the hell out of it.”
One such person he worked closely with during his time on the show was Spacey, whom he revealed he hasn't spoken to since the allegations surfaced in 2018. The disgraced actor was fired from the show and his character, Frank Underwood, killed off-screen ahead of the final season.
“To have someone just removed from your life who didn’t die is very weird,” Kelly stated, adding: “It was just a very bizarre experience as an actor to not have that acting partner that you’ve been next to for all those years around anymore.”
Robin Wright leads the cast of House of Cards' final season which sees the return of Lars Mikkelsen and Jayne Atkinson alongside newcomers Diane Lane and Greg Kinnear. All eight episodes will be released on Netflix on 2 November. You can read our first-look review here.
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