A little contract pun– “Midnight rider.” But the real Midnight Rider, Gregg Allman, has filed suit in Georgia to stop once and for all his biopic from being made. Allman wants producer Randall Miller to shelve the movie following the tragic set death earlier this year of production assistant Sarah Jones on February 20th.
Star William Hurt has already left the picture. Allman had previously sent a letter to Miller to end things. But now his lawyers may have come up with a way to put “Midnight Rider” out of its misery.
According to the suit, the Sarah Jones death on February 20th was during pre-production and not after formal commencement of the movie’s shoot. They say that principal photography had to begin on February 28th, and that Miller had to complete payment to Allman by then. Otherwise, all bets were off. As it happened, the entire production shut down after Jones’s death and never started.
The linchpin here is that Allman says Miller et al sent a check on February 27th for $9,000 less than the total amount owed. That, they say, invalidates all agreements. The money was returned.
I guess Miller will fight this. But I don’t know why. This movie is one no one wants to see. Let insurance cover the loss and move on. “Midnight Rider” is forever tainted by Jones’s death.
PS If nothing else, stop it now because Miller is a terrible filmmaker. Last year he and partner Jody Savin wasted everyone’s time with their “CBGB” disaster.
