Randall Miller, who served a year in jail after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter, violated the terms of his probation to direct a new film, according to Georgia Assistant District Attorney John Johnson, Deadline reported on Friday. A request to issue a warrant for his arrest has been made.
Miller is currently three years into a 10-year probation following the death of Sarah Jones, a 27-year-old camera assistant. Her accidental demise on the set of the since-scrapped Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider sparked a reassessment of safety protocols in film production.
Miller, whose previous work includes the Chris Pine winery comedy Bottle Shock and Sinbad vehicle Houseguest, recently wrapped production on Higher Grounds, a comedy about a barista competition starring Kate Nash and featuring Freddie Fox and Maria Conchita Alonso. It was shot last summer in Serbia, Colombia and the United Kingdom, according to Deadline’s report.
“One of the conditions of his probation is that he cannot serve as a director, assistant director or as a supervisor responsible for the safety of others on a film,” the assistant district attorney explained.
Attorney Mike Smith, who is also listed as an executive producer on Higher Ground, assured talent representatives that in his legal opinion “Mr. Miller is allowed to direct so long as he is not the crew member assigned with the task of safety on set.”
Johnson says that Smith’s credit as executive producer is a conflict of interest.
Earlier in the week, upon discovery of the film’s completion, Sarah Jones’s parents called for Miller to be removed from the Director’s Guild.
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