WebProNews

Tag: Midnight Rider

  • Midnight Rider Director Randall Miller Sentenced to 10 Years. Will Do Two.

    Midnight Rider — the biopic film about legendary Allman Brothers singer Gregg Allman — has become a nightmare of a story.

    When Midnight Rider was shooting in Wayne County, Georgia, second camera assistant Sarah Jones was struck and killed by a passing freight train. The story came out that the film crew had not obtained permission to shoot on the railroad trestle bridge where the accident occurred. Producer/director Randall Miller and other production staff were charged with involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass.

    In the year since then, Randall Miller has fought the charges. He entered a plea of not guilty. He and co-Producer Jody Savin said in a statement:

    “We have been in the television and movie business since 1990. We have produced and directed more than 10 features and television movies. We have always emphasized the safety of the crew. In all those years we have never had a significant injury or accident of any kind.”

    But Randall Miller recently changed his plea. He pled guilty to to the charges and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. It is expected that he will serve only two years actually behind bars and the remaining eight on probation. During his probation time, he will not be permitted to work as a director or assistant director or other capacity involving employee safety.

    As for the Midnight Rider film and Sarah Jones, the tragedy has led to a surge of concern for the safety of set crew on film shoots. One advance that was made was the funding and release of an app called Set safety for both Android and iOS platforms. That app and others are intended to address set safety concerns.

    The name Midnight Rider is based on a song by the Allman Brothers. Gregg Allman has recorded and released it as a solo project as well.

  • Gregg Allman Biopic: Worker Death Lawsuit Settled

    The Gregg Allman biopic, Midnight Rider, was filming along a bridge in February when a train plowed through the film crew, killing Sarah Jones. Jones was a 27-year-old camera assistant.

    Her parents, Richard and Elizabeth Jones of Columbia, South Carolina, sued Unclaimed Freight Productions, Inc., Rayonier Fibers, LLC, CSX railroad, and several others.

    That lawsuit was settled Wednesday, however the terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.

    Gregg Allman was originally named in the lawsuit, but it was determined that he had little to do with the film. He only licensed the rights to his memoir, My Cross To Bear.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsF9WhKHMKU

    Gregg Allman’s lawyer, David W. Long-Daniels, released a statement right after Allman was named in the suit back in May.

    He said, “While the lawsuit filed this week by the Jones family was expected, the inclusion of my client is unfortunate, unwarranted and without merit. Mr. Allman simply provided an option to acquire motion picture rights to his life story and his autobiography.”

    Gregg Allman’s attorney continued, “It is undisputed from the testimony at the recent court hearing that Mr. Allman and his representative did not have any knowledge that ‘live people [would be] on a live train track.’”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrurd_Q0CZw

    The crew went onto the railroad bridge spanning the Altamaha River to shoot footage after CSX railroad denied them permission.

    After the tragic accident, Gregg Allman sent Midnight Rider director Randall Miller a letter insisting that, under the circumstances, filming be discontinued.

    He wrote, “While there may have been a possibility that the production might have resumed shortly after that, the reality of Sarah Jones’ tragic death, the loss suffered by the Jones family and injuries to the others involved has led me to realize that for you to continue production would be wrong.”

    Hopefully, the parents of Sarah Jones can now find some closure. What do you think? Did Gregg Allman do the right thing by asking that his biopic be canned?

  • Gregg Allman Named A Defendent In Death Lawsuit

    Gregg Allman is one of 10 defendents in a lawsuit brought by the parents of a camera assistant that was killed during filming of the biopic Midnight Rider, which is about the Allman Brothers Band founder himself.

    27-year-old Sarah Jones was killed and 6 others were injured when a freight train unexpectedly crossed a bridge that they were filming on over the Altamaha River in southeast Georgia.

    Others named in the suit include eight corporations including CSX Transportation, which owns the railway tracks where the crash occurred, and Rayonier Performance Fibres, a subsidiary of forest-products manufacturer Rayonier that owns the land surrounding the crash site for their individual responsibilities in the the crash that cut short the life of Sarah Jones.

    Her parents are devastated to say the least and want answers concerning what went down and how the film crew ended up on the bridge in the first place.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCBpldjtJB8

    According to their lawsuit against the above-named defendents, they suspect that those in charge ‘selected an unreasonably dangerous site for the filming location; failed to secure approval for filming from CSX; concealed their lack of approval from CSX from the cast and crew … and otherwise failed to take measures to protect the safety of the Midnight Rider cast and crew.’

    The suit also stated that ‘despite the fact that multiple CSX trains passed the Midnight Rider cast and crew on February 20, with those individuals in view of the trains’ operators, no warning was given to the subsequent train that ultimately caused Sarah’s death.’

    Such an unfortunate incident. Filming has been delayed indefinitely and the fate of the project is unknown. William Hurt, who was set to play Gregg Allman, quickly released a statement saying that he would no longer be involved in the movie. No one else has yet pulled out, but after such a tragedy filming is sure to be highly disrupted at the least.

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons

  • Gregg Allman Biopic Adds More Actors

    Charles Dutton, Aldis Hodge, and Kathy Baker have joined the cast of Midnight Rider, the Gregg Allman biopic. Unclaimed Freight Productions’ Randall Miller and Jody Savin are responsible for making the film.

    The movie will tell the story of Allman’s journey as a struggling musician to becoming the frontman of the Allman Brothers Band. The story will also reflect upon Allman’s later half of his life and his path to becoming clean for good.

    The legendary band will come to life with Tyson Ritter playing the role of young Gregg Allman. Ritter is also the lead singer of The All-American Rejects. Kurt Russell’s son, Wyatt Russell, is also part of the cast portraying the role of Duane Allman.

    Eliza Dushku, Bradley Whitford, Joel David Moore, Zoey Deutch, and Chad Lindberg are also already cast for Rider.

    The film will be using original Allman Brothers tracks in the film as well as re-recorded performances by the actors.

    Shooting will begin Feb. 24 in Savannah, Ga., at Meddin Studios with Miller behind the camera. Savin and Miller wrote the script and plan on producing the film as well.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtvmkkFD7aI

    Image Via YouTube

  • Gregg Allman Biopic Cast Will Include William Hurt

    The cast for the Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider is coming together. In December, Tyson Ritter from the band All-American Rejects was cast to play the young version of Allman. Now, Oscar winning actor William Hurt is set to play the modern-day version of the legendary founder of the classic rock-southern blues band The Allman Brothers.

    The screenplay for the film is based upon Allman’s biography, My Cross to Bear. Shooting is set to begin in Savannah, Georgia this February. Randall Miller will direct. Several original Allman Brothers’ songs will be included in the film as well as re-recorded tracks from the actual musicians and actors.

    The 66-year-old singer-songwriter has certainly had his personal share of highs and lows. Allman battled serious drug and alcohol problems his whole life, his alcoholism was so severe that he needed a liver transplant in 2010. His big brother and Allman Brothers’ co-founder Duane was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident in 1971. There was also a highly publicized marriage and separation from Cher. However, Gregg Allman still continues to play and perform his music live on stage today.

    Last night, an impressive group of musicians, including Vince Gill and Jackson Browne, held a tribute concert for Allman in Atlanta. Allman was truly humbled by the outpouring of love and support. “I try not to think about it just directly. It’s kind of like we all came to the gig together. It’s pretty overwhelming but I’ve got the music to hang onto, to keep me on the ground. Otherwise they’d have to take me out of here on a string, like a balloon.”

    The Allman Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Their biggest hits include Ramblin’ Man, Melissa, Whipping Post and of course Midnight Rider. Rolling Stone Magazine ranks the band as Number 53 on their 100 Greatest Artists ever list.

    Image via Wikipedia

  • Tyson Ritter Stars in Allman Brothers Movie

    Gregg Allman’s memoir “My Cross to Bear” will be turned into a movie thanks to Randall Miller and Jody Savin.

    The legendary band will come to life in the biopic with Tyson Ritter playing the role of young Gregg Allman. Does that name sound familiar? That’s because Ritter is the lead singer of The All-American Rejects. Kurt Russell’s son, Wyatt Russell will be joining the cast portraying the role of Duane Allman.

    So is it true Ritter has some hidden acting-chops?

    “The world knows Tyson as a extraordinary musician and performer; now the world will know what an amazing actor he is as well,” said Miller.

    The working title of the movie is “Midnight Rider” and will tell the story of Allman’s journey as a struggling musician to the formation of the Allman Brothers Band. The film will be using original Allman Brothers tracks in the film as well as re-recorded performances by the actors.

    Photo Credit: YouTube