Kevin Spacey’s Old Vic Successor Named

When Kevin Spacey steps down from his current position as artistic director of The Old Vic theater, he will be replaced by director Matthew Warchus, the London theater announced Thursday.

Warchus, who’s currently directing the Broadway musical Matilda and won a Tony for directing the Broadway production of God of Carnage, will take up the role in the fall of 2015.

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Warchus has directed more than 70 productions in London and on Broadway and also helmed the upcoming movie Pride, which is premiering at Cannes Friday as the closing film in the Directors Fortnight section. He’s currently artistic associate at The Old Vic, having directed a number of productions there including 2008’s Speed-the-Plow, starring Spacey and Jeff Goldblum.

Spacey became the first American artistic director of The Old Vic in 2003.

“I couldn’t be happier that my friend Matthew Warchus has agreed to take the reins at The Old Vic next year,” Spacey said in a statement. “I have long admired his work and had a wonderful experience when we worked together on Speed-the-Plow. Matthew is a thoughtful, intuitive and highly creative director, and he has rightly been applauded for his work, in particular the quality and diversity of his portfolio. I know he loves our theatre and I am delighted for our staff, our audiences and for our acting and production communities that he will be its next guardian.”

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Warchus added: “I am excited and honoured to be following Kevin’s galvanizing tenure at this wonderful building. He has re-established The Old Vic as a globally important theatre and I look forward to continuing to develop it as a hub of invigorating creativity.”

Before stepping down, Spacey is set to appear in the one-man show, Clarence Darrow, opening May 28.