The Midnight Rider production has been under a cloud of controversy since camera assistant Sarah Jones was killed during early production in Georgia. William Hurt has dropped out of the picture and the film’s subject, Allman Brothers Band singer Gregg Allman, filed a lawsuit against the producers. However, Allman and the producers reached a settlement and the suit has been dropped.
Midnight Rider production has been suspended indefinitely since Jones’ death in February and just as Unclaimed Freight Productions was hoping to start filming in California, Hurt dropped out in April. Then, Allman wrote a letter to director Randall Miller, asking him to scrap the film altogether.
However, that plea must not have worked and Allman filed a lawsuit, stating that Unclaimed Frieght’s rights to his life story had lapsed because production didn’t start on time. He said that he never received the full purchase price the two sides agreed on.
Now, though, The Hollywood Reporter reported on Tuesday that Allman has agreed to drop the suit. The two sides came to a settlement, David Long-Daniels, Allman’s attorney, told the judge. Long-Daniels and Miller’s attorney, Donnie Dixon, both refused to give further details. The settlement came just a day after Long-Daniels had questioned Miller on the stand.
It’s still not clear if the film will ever get made. Jones died on Feb. 20 in a train accident, which prompted boycotts of the production from her family and colleagues. It also raised safety concerns for those working on films.