The TV adaptation of the Mark Wahlberg action movie Shooter has had some troubles making it onto television screens. Twice now the premiere date for the show has been pushed back due to real life sniper attacks on police that were a little too close to the show’s premise for the comfort of USA Network execs. And now there’s another controversy hitting the show before the first episode has aired.
According to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Friday, stuntman Steve De Castro is suing Tom Sizemore, Viacom and Paramount over an incident where Sizemore ran over De Castro with a car during the filming of a stunt. De Castro contends that the incident was “proximately caused by the intoxication” of Sizemore, and is suing the Saving Private Ryan actor and studios for assault, negligence, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. From the filing:
“On or about July 6, 2016, Defendant Thomas E. Sizemore became intoxicated knowing he would operate a motor vehicle and then operated said motor vehicle in a reckless, dangerous manner knowing that plaintiff Steve De Castro and other cast members and bystanders were lying on the ground nearby. The actions of Defendant Thomas E. Sizemore as alleged herein were willful, wanton, intentional, malicious, oppressive, despicable, vile, contemptible, and more done in conscious disregard for the rights and safety of plaintiff, thereby justifying an award of exemplary damages against Defendant Thomas E. Sizemore in an amount to be determined at the time of trial.”
We imagine lawsuits are going to happen anytime someone is accidentally run over on the set of a show, but add in a potentially drunk Tom Sizemore acting in a “wanton, intentional, malicious, oppressive, despicable, vile, contemptible” manner and who knows how much De Castro could end up with? We hate to phrase it like that — it’s not like the guy wanted to get run over with a car. But insurance companies exist specifically to cover incidents like this … and we have a feeling those insurance companies are going to think twice before underwriting any projects involving Sizemore.
Sizemore’s battles with drugs and alcohol are well known via stints on Celebrity Rehab and Sober House, and in his 2013 autobiography By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There: A Memoir. Things haven’t exactly gotten much better for the troubled actor, either. Barely two weeks after the De Castro incident, Sizemore was arrested by the police on suspicion of domestic violence.
To clear his name & find the truth – he has to survive. @RyanPhillippe stars as #BobLeeSwagger. #ShooterTV premieres 11.15 at 10/9c on USA. pic.twitter.com/1EFrQzQp1h
— Shooter (@Shooter_USA) October 4, 2016
(Via Deadline)