William Hurt has quit the troubled biopic Midnight Rider following a fatal accident on a railway track in February, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The move comes amid fresh revelations surrounding the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones, who was killed after being hit by flying debris during a shoot for the film in Jesup, Georgia. Hurt had been cast in the role of singer-songwriter Gregg Allman, the biopic's subject. The 64-year-old US actor narrowly escaped injury during the accident and was reported to have been very shaken.
A hairstylist on Midnight Rider told the Hollywood Reporter that the accident on 20 February, the cause of which invetigators have yet to determine, was entirely preventable. Joyce Gilliard, who was injured by the same train that hit Jones, said: "This tragedy could have been prevented if safety preventions and protocols were met and people who were in charge made conscious decisions to ensure we were safe." She said crew members had been told they would have 60 seconds to get off the track, which proved not to be the case.
Deadline reported last month that director Randall Miller remains keen to finish Midnight Rider, despite the ongoing investigations into Jones's death. On Wednesday, the US film industry blog published comments allegedly made by the film's producer, Jody Savin, who is married to Miller, on the weekend prior to the accident at a meeting of local production crew.
Savin is alleged to have told the meeting, "We make movies by our own rules," and to have expressed pleasure that an official of the Savannah film commission who intervened regularly on her previous film, CBGB, was no longer employed.
Savannah Women In Film and Television (Swift), many members of which attended the meeting, said in a statement: "The executive committee of Swift recognises that Jody Savin did speak to our membership on 16 February. Some of her remarks were very unprofessional and disrespectful. Her statements took an unexpected direction and left a negative impact on the entire group."
