Having previously entreated director Randall Miller not to resume filming after the death of a crew member, Gregg Allman has now filed a lawsuit to stop production of Midnight Rider, a film based on Allman’s life. The suit alleges that the option on his life story has expired and that producers must cease all efforts to make the film. A 27-year-old production assistant, Sarah Jones, was killed in an on-set accident while shooting the Allman biopic.
There were two conditions for Unclaimed Freight Productions’ option on Allman’s life story, and Allman claims neither of them were met. The first condition was that principal photography begin by February 28, 2014, and the second condition was that producers pay Allman the full purchase price for the rights, if this seemingly obvious step qualifies as a “condition.” The lawsuit alleges that the accident, which occurred on February 20, was part of pre-production and that Allman was never wired the full amount of money he was owed. A hearing is scheduled for May 12. Star William Hurt already withdrew from the project. [via The Hollywood Reporter]