The upcoming season 5 of The Expanse will be the last time fans will get to see Cas Anvar on the show.
On Tuesday, Amazon Studios revealed that it renewed the sci-fi series for a sixth and final season, and buried in the renewal announcement is the news that Anvar won’t be returning for the show’s final batch of episodes. It’s unclear if Anvar was fired from the show or personally decided to exit the series.
The news of Anvar’s departure from the show comes five months after The Expanse studio Alcon Entertainment launched an independent investigation into numerous sexual harassment and sexual assault accusations made against the actor.
Though none of the alleged sexual assault incidents happened on the set of The Expanse, multiple cases reportedly took place at fan conventions. All accusations against Anvar have been compiled on The Expanse subreddit, where statements from the accusers ― some of whom were under the age of 18 ― can be found. The subreddit also includes tweets and reactions from The Expanse writers Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, as well as cast members Dominique Tipper, Steven Strait, and Wes Chatham.
Anvar, who has played main character Alex Kamal since the first season of The Expanse, will still be present in season 5, as production on the season had already wrapped up before the allegations made headlines last summer. It’s unclear, however, whether or not Alex’s storyline will get a proper conclusion at the end of season 5.
Anvar has been mostly quiet about the allegations made against him. But in a statement released in June, the actor said he welcomes the third-party investigation launched by Alcon Entertainment and respects the women who have come forward. “[I] will make myself fully available to participate in the process as appropriate so that I may refute these very serious claims that strike at the core of what I value,” Anvar said at the time.
The Expanse season 5 will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on December 16th with three episodes. After that, one new episode will be released weekly through February 3rd.