The Allman Brothers Band biopic, Midnight Rider, is in a lot of trouble right now. Camera assistant Sarah Jones died during filming in February and since then, the project has been suffering setback after setback.
Currently, there’s an investigation going on to determine who is to blame for the accident and if criminal charges should be pressed. Despite this, director Randall Miller is looking to restart pre-production in a few weeks, even though he’ll likely face “union pressure, litigation and protests.” Now, he’ll have to face another obstacle as well, as star William Hurt, who was set to play Greg Allman, has backed out.
It’s not surprising that the actor has dropped. For one, the film is surrounded by a ton of negative press at the moment. Not only that, but Hurt was concerned about crew safety well before the tragic death of Jones. In an email to a friend, he voiced concerns that the train track scene, which is the one where Jones was killed, was unsafe. When he brought it up to the producers though, he was ignored and said that no one would back him up on his concerns.
There’s no word yet on who will replace Hurt, or if any of the other actors will be backing out as well, but it definitely looks like Midnight Rider is headed for a long road of trouble. Someone messed up, big time, and with the way things are currently playing out, I’d be shocked if the film ends up getting made.
