There have been plenty of things banned in the world of music. After all, China has banned Justin Bieber, and forbidden Metallica from performing some certain songs, and even the usually chill Smooth FM has banned some tracks before. But usually, it’s pretty rare to see something banned before its even been released, as Lynyrd Skynyrd fans in the US are discovering.
As The Hollywood Reporter reports, a film based upon the infamous plane crash that killed members of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1977 has been halted by a US judge.
The film, titled Street Survivor: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash, was intended to be shot from the point of view of, and with the assistance of, the band’s drummer at the time, Artimus Pyle, in conjunction with the group’s record label, Cleopatra Records. However, US District Court Judge Robert Sweet has halted production on the film.
Lynyrd Skynyrd band members Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines were tragically killed in a plane crash in 1977, just three days after the release of the group’s album, Street Survivors. The surviving members made a legal pact never to perform under the Lynyrd Skynyrd name again, but eventually reformed in 1987 for what was supposed to be a one-off tribute concert.
This reformation lead to some legal issues within the band, as Gaines’ and Van Zant’s widows sued the band members for breaking their contract to never again exploit the band name for profit. This legal stoush reportedly resulted in a consent order being issued, which outlined that that any Lynyrd Skynyrd ventures could not be undertaken without the participation of at least three members from the pre-crash lineup.
As Ultimate Classic Rock reports, this consent order hadn’t exactly been followed to the letter in recent years, as the death of keyboardist Billy Powell in 2009 meant that only Gary Rossington and Rickey Medlocke remain as other band members who played in the group prior to 1977. However, because Rossington and Medlocke did not agree to participate in the making of the film, the families of Van Zant and Gaines intervened.
Lawyers for Artimus Pyle and Cleopatra Records argued that their clients had “an affirmative constitutional right to engage in the speech for which it is being sued: In producing and releasing the film, Cleopatra is exercising its right to make a film about a newsworthy event from the past, a form of constitutionally protected free speech.”
The lawyers acting for the families of Van Zant and Gaines countered that wile “Cleopatra is free to make a movie about Lynyrd Skynyrd and/or about the plane crash,” what they were not allowed to do “is to make such a movie in concert and participation with Pyle in violation of the restrictions imposed on him by the consent order.”
Judge Robert Sweet agreed with the Van Zant and Gaines families, and stated that Cleopatra Records were indeed allowed to make the film, but only on the condition that the script made with Pyle’s participation be scrapped, and that all ties with the band’s former drummer be severed.
“Cleopatra is prohibited from making its movie about Lynyrd Skynyrd when its partner substantively contributes to the project in a way that, in the past, he willingly bargained away the very right to do just that; in any other circumstance, Cleopatra would be as ‘free as a bird’ to make and distribute its work.”
So in case you were actively following the news of this film, you may have to wait quite a while to see if a new script is put forward, or if future production will occur at all. Whatever happens, we’re hoping that it is done with respect to the deceased band members. We’re also really angry at the judge for beating us to that ‘Freebird’ pun, too.
Check out Lynyrd Skynyrd’s classic track ‘Sweet Home Alabama’, below.
