Tom Cruise’s American Made, a film based on the life of Barry Seal, has run into legal troubles after the families of two men who died in a September 2015 plane crash on the film’s set, sued the producers of the film. According to reports, the families of Alan Purwin and Carlos Berl are suing the producers – Imagine Entertainment, Vendian Entertainment, and Cross Creek Pictures – for wrongful death and damages.
On September 11, 2015, Berl and Purwin died when the twin-engine Aerostar they were flying in, with pilot-in-command Jimmy Lee Garland, crashed due to foggy conditions in the rugged Andes near Medellin, Colombia. Filming of American Made (formerly titled Mena) was completed that day. The Associated Press reported that 10 minutes before the fatal crash, Cruise had been in a helicopter taking the same route as the plane that went down. Garland, however, survived the crash.
The deceased men’s family also allege that the production companies ignored safety procedures before the flight, in order to save time and money. Berl’s family is also filing a suit against Garland, the only survivor. Berl’s suit alleges that the flight was “rushed” in order to save money because the movie was “behind schedule”.
The Purwin family suit, meanwhile, says that Purwin was just a passenger on the flight. Garland, however, has no memory of the crash and can’t recall either way.
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American Made, directed by Doug Liman, is a film inspired by Barry Seal, a former TWA pilot who became a drug smuggler in the 1980s, and who was recruited later on by the DEA to provide intelligence. The film stars Tom Cruise in the lead role, along with actors Domhnall Gleeson, Lola Kirke, and Jesse Plemons.
American Made is slated to be released on September 29.
Feature Image: Screen Rant