Kevin Spacey is back

After more than five years away from the film industry, the actor once again has a lead role in a large project.

The movie is called '1242 - Gateway to the West,' and it's a historical drama about Batu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan who founded the Mongol Empire.

This British-Hungarian-Mongolian co-production has offered Kevin Spacey his first major job since he fell into the abyss.

He had two Oscars to his name and was the successful lead actor of 'House of Cards,' but a series of allegations of harassment and abuse stopped his career.

Spacey still has a long journey ahead of him in the courts. There are more than 30 pending charges of abuse against the actor.

So far, the only lawsuit he faced was that of an 18-year-old who accused him of touching him, in Nantucket (Massachusetts). In the end, the prosecution dropped the case.

Spacey does not only face immense legal expenses, but he owes a huge debt to Netflix as well. His abrupt departure from 'House of Cards' led the platform to demand a sum of roughly $28 million from him.

So, his role in '1242 - Gateway to West', which is still without a release date, will come in handy.

The film, directed by Péter Soós, will also star Eric Roberts, Christopher Lambert, Terence Stamp, Neil Stuke and Genevieve Florence.

The plot focuses on the attempted invasion of Western Europe by Batu Khan, who won battles from China to Persia.

Kevin Spacey's character is an enemy of Batu Khan who interrupts his military campaign and his attempt to expand the empire.

Shooting is scheduled to start next October in various locations in Hungary and Mongolia.

The actor is also involved in a modern thriller called 'Peter Five Eight' directed by Michael Zaiko Hall. Other stars in the film include Rebecca De Mornay, Jet Jandreau and Jake Weber.

'Peter Five Eight' is set in a small mountain town, where real estate agent Sam (Jandreau) proves to be a totally different person than he had always appeared to be. Spacey plays a mysterious outsider who threatens to reveal his secret.

In 2017, with his reputation tarnished, Kevin Spacey was replaced by Christopher Plummer in the project 'All the Money in the World'. Plummer then got an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actor for this role.

Since then, Kevin Spacey has only appeared in two films: 'Billionaire Boys Club' and 'The Man Who Drew God' ('L'uomo Che Disegno Dio', 2021). The latter was not commercially distributed in Hollywood.