Oscar winner William Hurt is ready to rock as Gregg Allman in the upcoming music biopic “Midnight Rider.”
The actor will play the present-day version of the iconic rocker, while All American Rejects singer Tyson Ritter will play a younger version, according to Variety. Wyatt Russell has been cast as his brother Duane Allman,
As the core members of the legendary Southern rock outfit The Allman Brothers Band, Gregg and Duane scored a number of hits in the early ’70s before Duane died in a motorcycle crash in 1971. Gregg continued to perform with the band, and struggled with drug addiction until sobering up in the 1990s and receiving a liver transplant in 2010.
Co-screenwriters Randall Miller and Jody Savin are producing for Unclaimed Freight Productions, while Miller will direct. They plan to use both original Allman Brothers tunes as well as some re-recorded by the film’s cast.
The film is based on Allman”s recent biography “My Cross To Bear,” which he co-wrote with Alan Light. Allman will executive produce and, according to Rolling Stone, has “veto rights” on the script and final cut.
Meanwhile, The Allman Brothers Band will celebrate their 45th anniversary with a 10-night stand at New York’s Beacon Theatre in March.
“Midnight Rider” will start shooting at Meddin Studios in Savannah, GA next month.
Hurt was recently seen in “The Host” and on TV’s “Bonnie and Clyde: Dead and Alive.”