Gregg Allman urges Randall Miller not to resume shoot on Allman Brothers biopic

Veteran rocker Gregg Allman has personally appealed to director Randall Miller to shut down production on the Allman Brothers biopic for good following the tragic onset death of a camera assistant in February (14). Sarah Jones, 27, was struck and killed by an oncoming train while shooting Midnight Rider on a railroad trestle in Wayne County, Georgia, four days before cameras were officially due to start rolling on the project.
Filming was suspended immediately after the accident, but recent reports suggest Miller is considering moving the shoot to California, so he and the cast and crew can get back to work as early as June (14).
Now Gregg Allman, who was due to be portrayed by both William Hurt and rocker Tyson Ritter in the film, has made his feelings about the future of the biopic clear by penning Miller a letter begging him to reconsider his plans to move forward with the movie.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Allman wrote: “I am writing to you as one human being to another, and appealing to you from my heart. I am asking you from a personal perspective not to go forward.”
Allman admits he had been excited about the big screen adaptation of his autobiography My Cross to Bear, but he has since had a change of heart following Jones’ death.
He continued, “When the idea of you producing the film first came about, I was genuinely excited about the possibility of sharing my story with fans around the world. Unfortunately, all of that changed for me on February 20 of this year.
“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.”
Miller has yet to respond to Allman’s note, but production has already hit another snag following Hurt’s decision to pull out of the film earlier this week (begs21Apr14). The Oscar winner had expressed his concerns about safety on the Wayne County set in an email to a friend, days before Jones was killed.
The accident is still under investigation by police.