Jared Leto Loses Lead Role Amid Allegations
The actor was in the final stages of negotiations for the political thriller "Assassination" directed by Barry Levinson, but production has backed out.
The actor was in the final stages of negotiations for the political thriller "Assassination" directed by Barry Levinson, but production has backed out.
Jared Leto has lost the lead role in the upcoming political thriller "Assassination" due to mounting sexual misconduct allegations, according to information published by Page Six and reported by Index.hr and Kurir.rs. The actor was in final negotiations for the film directed by Barry Levinson, with sources close to the production describing the deal as "a done deal."
Leto, according to sources, was "extremely interested" in the project and regularly communicated with Levinson about the role. However, as the number of allegations grew, production decided to cut ties. "The growing number of sexual misconduct allegations became impossible to ignore," a source told Page Six. Producers and the director, according to the same reports, were aware of the allegations before talks with Leto began and had initially discussed them internally.
One source suggested that the weak commercial performance of the 2025 sci-fi film "Tron: Ares" may have also influenced the decision. "That might have just been an excuse to exclude him from the project," the source told Page Six, hinting that the allegations were not the only factor. Still, the main reason remains the weight of the accumulating allegations.
The film "Assassination," starring Bryan Cranston and Brendan Fraser, follows the true story of journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, who died under mysterious circumstances while investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The film's production had previously been delayed due to a lawsuit from screenwriter and producer Nicholas Celozzi. It is not yet known who will replace Leto, and no release date has been announced.
Allegations against Leto resurfaced after the premiere of the BBC documentary "Jared Leto: Hollywood's Dark Secret" earlier this week, in early August 2026. In the documentary, ten women detailed their experiences, stating that the incidents occurred between 2002 and 2016, when they were between 16 and 18 years old. The documentary featured "several women," while Index.hr specifies the number as "ten women."
Claims of inappropriate behavior are not new. The New York Post reported back in 2005 that Leto "aggressively pursued teenage models." In 2025, Air Mail magazine published an article in which nine women accused the actor of sexual misconduct. Jared Leto has consistently denied all allegations, including those in Air Mail and the new BBC documentary. His representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
