It was once Netflix’s flagship series. Now, the future of House of Cards is in question following a series of allegations made against its leading man Kevin Spacey, who’s played Francis ‘Frank’ Underwood since 2013.
Is the series cancelled? Will Spacey be a part of a sixth season? Here’s everything we know right now.
House of Cards season 6 release date: When will it arrive?
New episodes were originally expected to drop on Netflix in the spring of 2018, mirroring the release pattern of previous seasons.
Shooting resumed on season six in January 2018, nearly three months after the decision was taken to suspend production.
And now we finally know that the final season of the show will arrive on Netflix on November 2, 2018.
House of Cards season 5: How did it end?
Under intense scrutiny from the Declaration of War Committee, and facing investigation for his involvement in the death of Zoe Barnes, Frank resigns from the presidency.
In his stead, Claire is sworn in and assumes the presidency – as Frank had planned all along. She leads an operation to track down Yusuf Al-Ahmadi, the elusive ICO terrorist plaguing the US.
Frank asks for a public pardon from Claire for both him and his aide Doug Stamper. She agrees to do so in her upcoming TV broadcast, but tells Frank that for their secret arrangement to work, he has to leave the White House and make it appear that they are estranged.
That night, Claire gives her first televised address as the new president, informing the nation that they have killed Ahmadi and that the US is going to war with terrorist group ICO.
However, she gives no mention of a pardon to Frank or Doug, despite having agreed to do so. Frank, who has been watching the broadcast, calls her to demand an explanation, but Claire rejects the call, stares towards the camera audience and coldly declares: “My turn.”
House of Cards season 6 trailer: What’s in it?
The first teaser for the final season was released during the 2018 Oscars, without any actual footage and just a long walk to the Oval Office and Claire saying: “We’re just getting started.”
And then to celebrate Independence Day, Netflix released another teaser without any new footage, just showing Claire on the Lincoln Memorial.
House of Cards season 6 cast: Who will appear?
A first look clip of the new season appeared to confirm that Kevin Spacey won’t appear at all in season six as Claire Underwood (Wright) was shown by Francis Underwood’s grave.
Spacey revealed he was seeking treatment following accusations that he made unwanted sexual advances towards Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp when Rapp was just 14.
In the days following those allegations, multiple current and former House of Cards employees accused Spacey of misconduct and UK police opened up an investigation against the star over separate allegations.
© David Giesbrecht / Netflix
On November 4, Netflix released a statement saying it would not move forward with House of Cards unless Spacey departs the series. “We will continue to work with [producer] MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show.”
At the time, MRC had only “suspended” Spacey while production on the upcoming final season regrouped, saying in its own statement: “While we continue the ongoing investigation into the serious allegations concerning Kevin Spacey’s behaviour on the set of House of Cards, he has been suspended, effective immediately. MRC, in partnership with Netflix, will continue to evaluate a creative path forward for the program during the hiatus.”
It was later confirmed that Spacey would not be returning to the series.
© David Giesbrecht/Netflix
Wright is confirmed to reprise her role as Claire: now President of the United States, having usurped Frank and murdered her lover Tom Yates, a writer with knowledge that could’ve buried the Underwoods.
Michael Kelly will also be back as Doug Stamper, the White House Chief of Staff, alongside Jayne Atkinson (Cathy Durant), Boris McGiver (Tom Hammerschmidt), Derek Cecil (Seth Grayson), Patricia Clarkson (Jane Davis) and Campbell Scott (Mark Usher).
Constance Zimmer – whose investigative journalist Janine Skorsky hasn’t been seen since season 4 – is also returning,while it’s also possible that Neve Campbell could be back as LeAnn Harvey.
© David Giesbrecht / Netflix
LeAnn was hired then fired from her role as Claire’s Chief of Staff and her car was later run off the road – but we never saw her body.
She’d previously handed over damning evidence, proving that the Underwoods illegally influenced the election, to their ally Jane Davis (Patricia Clarkson), and Frank made the attempt on LeAnn’s life shortly afterwards. Did she survive?
New cast additions will include Diane Lane and Greg Kinnear – they’ll play siblings Annette and Bill Shepherd who have inherited a big industrial firm called Shepherd Unlimited.
© Netflix
According to Netflix, their “family foundations exert a powerful behind-the-scenes force in the American political landscape”. Both Annette and Bill have a shared vision for the USA’s future – and of course, they have got a complicated history with Underwoods.
American Crime Story‘s Cody Fern has also joined as Annette’s extremely ambitious (and fiercely devoted) son Duncan Shepherd who represents “the next generation of DC power players”.
House of Cards season 6 episodes: What will happen next?
The sixth season was originally expected to span 13 episodes, as with all previous five seasons going back to 2013. However, the last-minute script changes enforced by Spacey’s departure means the season is now expected to run to just 8.
Back in June, co-showrunner Frank Pugliese had already confirmed that Claire’s presidency would, unsurprisingly, form a major arc across season 6.
On the character’s relationship with the audience, given that Claire – like her husband – now breaks the fourth wall to speak to us, Pugliese added: “I don’t think she’s going to do it the way Frank did it. How she does it could be really exciting. Claire’s needs from the audience are unique to her. We want Francis and Claire to be equal but different.”
Of course, plans for the new episodes have had to be altered following Spacey and House of Cards parting ways, with talk of significant rewrites.
“The poor [writers] have been sweating over their candles and pens,” revealed Michael Dobbs, author of the original House of Cards novels.
“It’s been really, truly difficult, but what Media Rights Capital, Netflix and the writers have done is superb. They have set some standards and they have come back with some fine, fresh new creative stuff.”
Production on the series was suspended as of October 2017, while Pugliese, fellow showrunner Melissa James Gibson and their writing team attempted to write around Spacey’s absence.
It was then announced in November that the hiatus had been extended for an additional two weeks “with the hope of resuming production soon”.
In early December came official confirmation that House of Cards would return for 8 final episodes with Wright in the lead and, crucially, without Spacey.
The first two episodes of season six had already been filmed prior to the work stoppage – however, all footage shot prior to Spacey’s exit is now expected to be scrapped, with the series embarking on a totally fresh storyline.
House of Cards cancelled: Has the series been axed?
In the wake of the Spacey allegations, Netflix announced that the sixth season of House of Cards would be the show’s last, though insisted that this decision had actually been taken some time prior.
According to CNN, the House of Cards cast and crew have a finite amount of time to complete season 6 due to other contractual obligations. In most cases, extending that commitment due to unforeseen delays is not always possible, as most often have other jobs lined up.
However, production on season 6 resumed in early 2018, with the show’s final episodes being restructured, rather than totally abandoned.
Wright revealed that the show came “very, very close” to be axed.
“Because of the climate at that time. The air was thick, you know. Harvey Weinstein… People were [saying], ‘We have to shut everything down or otherwise it will look like we are glorifying and honouring this thing that’s dirty.’,” she explained.
House of Cards spin-offs: Is Stamper getting his own show?
Whatever happens to the mothership, Netflix is already developing ways to extend the House of Cards brand, with several pitches for a spin-off show currently being explored.
One potential idea from ex-House of Cards writer Eric Roth would have Michael Kelly reprising his role as dirty-dealing fixer Doug Stamper as he works on new political crises.
Earlier this year, he reflected on filming this season after Spacey’s exit given that most of Stamper’s scenes was with Frank. “To go back to the same stages, to the same sets, slightly altered with a new President obviously, but to go back to those sets and all of a sudden be with completely different people, it was a strange feeling,” he explained.
© Netflix
“There’s obviously a million emotions that I went through, that I processed during this whole thing. I don’t want to talk too much about it because it was heartbreaking in so many ways. I think I’m still going through a lot, processing the whole thing. It’s tough.”
So there’s a chance that he won’t even be open to carrying on the character of Stamper into a spinoff.
Another possibility is a show focusing on the Washington DC media who’ve worked to bring down the Underwoods, with Constance Zimmer and Boris McGiver possibilities to feature as Washington Herald journalists Janine Skorsky and Tom Hammerschmidt.
A third option might shift focus to Wall Street, to be told through the eyes of the big money political power-broker Raymond Tusk (Gerald McRaney) or perhaps a new mogul.
Which option ends up being pursued, it sounds like a few characters will still be standing once the house of cards collapses.
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