BREAKING: William Hurt, who was set to play Gregg Allman in the feature film Midnight Rider, has pulled out of the movie. The exit of its star casts even more doubt over whether the Randall Miller-directed biopic will move forward following the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones during filming in February in Georgia. A source close to the production tells Deadline the filmmakers “were already looking to recast some roles,” including the Gregg Allman character.
Most recently, Miller and his production company Unclaimed Freight were looking to restart pre-production on the movie in LA in a few weeks, even as investigations are ongoing over who is to blame for the February 20 accident in Wayne County, GA where a film crew was struck by a train while shooting on a trestle. Hurt was among the actors on the bridge where the crew was filming a dream sequence involving a mattress on the tracks. The news of the L.A. shoot has prompted a flurry of tweets and a “I REFUSE to work on Midnight Rider” Facebook page. DEVELOPING
Related: After Sarah Jones Death, IATSE Locals Set Safety Rights Seminar
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