Warchus is currently an artistic associate at the theatre, where he has previously directed Spacey in David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow in 2008 and a revival of Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests that subsequently transferred to Broadway. He is currently represented in the West End and on Broadway by Matilda.

In a press statement, Warchus commented, "I am excited and honoured to be following Kevin’s galvanising 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."

Spacey added, "I couldn't be happier that my friend Matthew Warchus has agreed to take the reins at The Old Vic next year. 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."

Nick Clarry, chairman of The Old Vic Theatre Trust, also said, "We are delighted to have appointed an Artistic Director with the talent and track record of Matthew Warchus. This is a key appointment for The Old Vic, building on the many achievements of Kevin Spacey since 2004. We believe that the next few years will be a very exciting time for The Old Vic. Our goals are to continue to develop our artistic programme under Matthew's leadership, to continue with our outreach work, to establish an endowment fund, and then to redevelop our historic building after the Bicentenary in 2018."

For further details on the theatre's current and future programming, visit http://www.oldvictheatre.com.