Former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle has received a cease-and-desist order from the band for trying to make a biopic about the band's deadly 1977 plane crash.
Pyle has been trying to tell the story of the tragic 1977 plane crash on film for several years. The crash killed six people, including frontman Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines, and seriously injured the rest of the band and crew aboard. It caused the group to disband until 1987.
The drummer's documentary was to be called Free Bird, but after his former bandmates and the families of those involved in the crash objected, Pyle agreed to rename the project, reports Rolling Stone.
But the new name, Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash, drew the cease-and-desist. Pyle previously agreed to refrain from using any Skynyrd music in the movie, according to reports.
Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington and singer Johnny Van Zant filed a lawsuit to halt the film's production altogether. They say a 1988 consent order prohibits any lone member from presenting the band's story.
Skynyrd's lawyers say the movie, being led by Pyle alone, is bound to contain inaccurate information, being that it's based solely from Pyle's memories.
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