Oscar Movie: Reeva’s parents say they weren’t even consulted
Hardly surprising for a production company with a reputation of using tabloids as a source for their biopics…
Reeva Steenkamp’s parents, through their lawyers, said that they were horrified when they found out a movie called Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer was set to air in the United States.
Tania Koen, the Steenkamps’ lawyer, told the Pretoria News:
“They are still mourning the loss of their daughter and had no knowledge of the making of the film.
“They were never consulted. Nobody asked their input. In fact, they never even knew until now that a movie had been made.”
According to the filmmakers, Lifetime films, the story is told “from the perspective of Reeva and her mother”. But June Steenkamp said that she was never asked to give any input or consulted by the filmmakers or producers.
“They had a big fright when it came to their attention yesterday. They are horrified and upset to read that the movie is perceived to be told from Reeva and her mother’s perspective.”
Koen said the family knows nothing about the movie, beyond what is contained in the trailer.
“We do not know exactly what is contained in the movie, but the family asked me to look into the matter from a legal point of view. I will have to see the entire screening before I can make any decision on whether to take legal action or not.”
Lifetime has a bit of a reputation of making movies based on the lives of celebs without consultation. The movies produced by the company frequently incorporate tabloid stories and don’t typically receive any official endorsement.
The most recent example is the Britney Spears biopic it released.
in August 2016, after the network announced that it was producing Britney Ever After, Spears’ representative told Entertainment Weekly:
“Britney Spears will not be contributing in any way, shape, or form to the Lifetime biopic … nor does it have her blessing.”
At the end of the movie, the network aired this disclaimer: “Although based on a true story, some characters are fictionalized composites, and some events have been compressed, reorganized or fictionalized for purposes of dramatization.”
