Days after four women levelled criminal sexual conduct allegations against Jared Leto, the actor has reportedly been removed from the upcoming Barry Levinson's much-anticipated political thriller film Assassination.
Multiple sources told Page Six that the decision came amid mounting sexual misconduct allegations against the Oscar-winning actor. According to the report, Leto had been in advanced talks to join the film in 2025 and was "extremely interested" in the project. The actor was reportedly in ongoing discussions with director Barry Levinson, with one source describing the casting as "seeming like a done deal."
However, sources claimed that production executives and Levinson were aware of allegations surrounding Leto and had discussed them internally before initial conversations with the actor.
A source close to the production alleged that Leto ultimately lost the role as the growing number of sexual misconduct allegations became impossible to ignore. Another source cited the underperformance of his previous film Tron: Ares (2025).
The allegations against him came to light through the recent BBC documentary titled Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret. As many as ten women stepped forward with accusations against Leto in incidents they said happened during their teenage years. The BBC revealed that nine of them had not shared their experiences with Leto previously until they did through the documentary. It also follows renewed scrutiny after a 2025 Air Mail article that also included allegations of sexual impropriety against Leto. The New York Post had previously reported in 2005 that the actor was "aggressively pursuing" teen models.
Assassination, starring Bryan Cranston and Brendan Fraser, is based on the true story of journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, who died under mysterious circumstances while investigating the assassination of US President John F Kennedy.
Previously, the film was delayed due to a lawsuit filed by co-writer and producer Nicholas Celozzi. As of now, no replacement for Leto has been announced.
(With inputs from ANI)
