Ridley Scott cuts Spacey out of finished film

FILE - In this May 4, 2017 file photo, director Ridley Scott appears at the premiere of the film "Alien: Covenant" in London. Scott   decided to replace Kevin Spacey in the role of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty in his upcoming, already completed film “All the Money in the World.” He plans to reshoot the actor’s many scenes with Christopher Plummer and make a release date that’s just six weeks away. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - In this May 4, 2017 file photo, director Ridley Scott appears at the premiere of the film "Alien: Covenant" in London. Scott decided to replace Kevin Spacey in the role of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty in his upcoming, already completed film “All the Money in the World.” He plans to reshoot the actor’s many scenes with Christopher Plummer and make a release date that’s just six weeks away. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) - Ridley Scott's madman feats of efficiency have long been legend. Now, the director is attempting what could be his greatest trick yet, and all of Hollywood is eagerly watching.

Scott on Wednesday summarily decided to cut Kevin Spacey out of the already completed movie "All the Money in the World," reshoot the actor's many scenes using Christopher Plummer - the man Scott originally wanted for the role of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty - and still, somehow, make a release date just six weeks away.

It is, to say the least, an unprecedented move most filmmakers (and studios) wouldn't even consider. With Spacey suddenly deemed toxic following a flood of sexual harassment and assault allegations, Scott - in one of the more audacious acts of damage control in recent memory - simply opted to be rid of him.

It's as if the maker of the epic "Exodus" took to heart the Bible's advice: "And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee."

Scott even caught the film's distributor, Sony Pictures, by surprise. However, once word got out Wednesday, the studio opted to support the plan. Saying no to Ridley is an unenviable task.

"I'm good at pushing the pace and suddenly everyone is running," the director, now 79, told the Guardian in 2007. "It's very easy to do only 10 shots a day. On 'American Gangster,' we were doing 50 setups a day. We wouldn't have got through it otherwise."

"I was always fast," he added. "Now I'm really fast."

The new film is slated for release Dec. 22, and trailers highlighting Spacey's role are already in theaters. Its premiere at the AFI Fest this month has been scuttled out of concern the scandal around Spacey would spoil the event.