Frank Langella Removed From New Netflix Production Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Netflix’s new horror series, The Fall Of The House Of Usher, was about halfway through production when a misconduct investigation reported their finding that Frank Langella had acted inappropriately toward a female costar on the set. As per these findings, Langella was promptly fired, and his part is set to be recast and re-filmed immediately. This swift action rarely happens unless concrete, undeniable evidence comes up, so this time around, we can be thankful that the production quickly resolved the situation.

Langella is a celebrated theater actor who has appeared in numerous films. Though only nominated for his movie roles (he got a nod for Best Actor in 2008 for playing the lead role in Frost/Nixon), he has four Tony Awards, two Obies, and a Drama Desk Award for stage roles. His notable recent role is in The Trial of the Chicago 7 as the prejudiced judge Julius Hoffman.

According to his 2012 memoir, Langella seemed to celebrate debauchery as a way of life, possibly attributing to his inappropriate nature on set.

Originally an Edgar Allen Poe short story, The Fall Of The House Of Usher is the newest adaptation by celebrated modern horror auteur Mike Flanagan. Not much is known of the specific details of this new Netflix series, but it sports an ensemble cast that sees numerous returning faces from his past work. Some returning cast members from past Flanagan projects include Carla Gugino, Carl Lumbly, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Henry Thomas, T'Nia Miller, Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Michael Trucco, Kyleigh Curran, and Annabeth Gish.

The Fall Of The House Of Usher will be the fifth TV collaboration with Netflix, though he has two Netflix exclusive films as well. Here is a list of his film and TV credits as a writer and director.

Film

  • Absentia (2011)

  • Oculus (2013)

  • Hush (2016)

  • Before I Wake (2016)

  • Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

  • Gerald’s Game (2017)

  • Doctor Sleep (2019)

Television

  • The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

  • The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

  • Midnight Mass (2021)

  • The Midnight Club (2022)

Langella’s people have yet to comment on the matter.