Key Takeaways
- Jared Leto says he lost a major role in Barry Levinson’s political thriller Assassination as producers reportedly backed away amid mounting sexual misconduct allegations and the box-office flop of Tron: Ares.
- The role loss follows a BBC documentary, Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret, in which 10 women describe alleged encounters from 2002–2016, including claims of sexual assault, statutory rape, coercion, and grooming of underage fans that the BBC says it partially corroborated.
- Leto has flatly denied all accusations, insisting he has “never sexually assaulted anyone,” but the reported casting fallout on Assassination suggests the controversy is starting to carry real professional consequences.
Jared Leto’s mounting sexual misconduct controversy may now be hitting his acting career.
The Oscar winner reportedly lost a major role in Barry Levinson’s upcoming political thriller Assassination after producers grew increasingly concerned about the allegations against him. Multiple sources close to the production told Page Six that Leto was deep into casting talks before the project moved on without him.
Leto was reportedly “extremely interested” in the film and had been speaking directly with Levinson throughout 2025. One insider said his casting was “seeming like a done deal.” Although producers were allegedly aware of accusations surrounding Leto when those talks began, a source claimed the growing number of women coming forward eventually became too difficult to ignore.
The box-office failure of Disney’s Tron: Ares may have given producers another reason to walk away. One source said the movie’s poor performance factored into the decision before adding, “That may have been an excuse to drop him from the project.”
The casting discussions came during the same year Air Mail published allegations from nine women who accused Leto of inappropriate sexual behavior. Some said they were underage at the time. His representative denied the claims.
Reportedly losing out on Assassination would mark a significant setback for Leto. The film stars Bryan Cranston and Brendan Fraser and follows journalist Dorothy Kilgallen as she investigates President John F. Kennedy’s assassination before her mysterious death in 1965. Production was previously delayed by a lawsuit from co-writer and producer Nicholas Celozzi but is expected to move forward. No replacement for Leto—or release date—has been announced.
The reported career fallout comes days after the BBC premiered Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret. The documentary features 10 women detailing alleged encounters with Leto between 2002 and 2016. Four accuse him of conduct that could be considered criminal, including sexual assault, statutory rape, and coercion.
One woman alleges Leto assaulted her in a motel bathroom when she was 17. Another says he threatened to assault her when she was 19. A third claims she had sex with him in California at 17, below the state’s age of consent. A fourth alleges Leto groomed her through sexually explicit phone calls when she was 16.
The BBC said it corroborated parts of several accounts through friends and relatives who heard about the alleged encounters at the time. The broadcaster also reviewed photographs and messages it said supported some of the allegations. Former Thirty Seconds to Mars employees separately described concerns about Leto’s alleged interactions with teenage fans.
Leto has flatly denied all accusations. “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life,” he said after the documentary premiered. “These claims are absolutely and categorically false.” His representatives did not respond to Page Six’s request for comment about Assassination.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, confidential help is available through RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673), or text HOPE to 64673.
