Alcon Entertainment, the studio behind the Amazon Prime Video program ‘The Expanse’, has launched an investigation after multiple women have come forth with accusations of sexual misconduct on the part of Cas Anvar, who stars as Alex Kamal on the series. ‘The Expanse’ is based on a line of novels written by James S.A. Corey, which is a pen name shared by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. It was Abraham that made this investigation known, via Twitter.
So one of the core cast of #TheExpanse has been accused of sexual misconduct. We immediately passed these serious accusations onto the studio, Alcon. Alcon has engaged an independent firm to investigate this matter and takes these allegations very seriously.
— Daniel Abraham (@AbrahamHanover) June 26, 2020
That tweet, on Abraham’s personal account, was followed by another on the James S.A. Corey Twitter account:
Latest news from our studio. They are taking the recent allegations very seriously, and have hired an independent third party investigator. Everyone is fully committed to the truth here. But they need a little time to do their work. Updates as I have them.
— James S.A. Corey (@JamesSACorey) June 26, 2020
A spokesperson for Alcon Entertainment confirmed the investigation, but did not offer any additional details.
Earlier this week, a Twitter user named @Lorie_o posted:
“While we’re throwing out the garbage, toss Cas Anvar onto the pile for targeting female Assassin’s Creed fans. I have two friends who told me he aggressively pushed them to meet up with him. One was creeped out and said no. The other he assaulted.”
Another poster wrote that Anvar “pressured me into coming to his hotel room at a convention when I was 17, fed me alcohol, tried to convince me to take my clothes off for a ‘massage’, groped me, told me he would give me money for a cab if I kissed him.” And more and more women have come forward with further accusations.
It does not appear that any of this sexual misconduct occurred on the set of ‘The Expanse’, as it almost all seems to have occurred at various fan conventions.
As the accusations continued to pile up, some of Anvar’s co-stars have reacted. Dominique Tipper, who plays Naomi Nagata, posted the message:
“I want you to know that I do not take this lightly. At. All. To the women that have spoken. I hear you.”
Wes Chatham, who portrays Amos Burton, reacted:
“The past few days have been a whirlwind but I want you to know that you are heard. I’m committed to advocate for those who have been mistreated at a place in time where all voices should be heard, and accusations should be treated seriously.”
Steven Strait, who plays James Holden, issued a statement via Abraham and Franck.
“I just wanted to reach out to let you know that we hear you … These very serious allegations are being treated with the utmost respect and gravity they deserve.”
At this point, it does not appear that any legal charges have been filed against Anvar. But depending on how the investigation turns out, it’s very possible that Anvar will be fired from the show.
‘The Expanse’ aired for three seasons on Syfy. After that network canceled it, Amazon Prime Video picked it up. The fourth season was released last year and a fifth was ordered. In addition to ‘The Expanse’, Anvar had recurring roles on ‘The Strain’ and ‘How to Get Away With Murder’. As referenced in the first accusation, Anvar has also done voice work for video games, including ‘Assassin’s Creed: Revelations’.
Stay tuned for updates as they arrive.
