Pretoria - The family of Oscar Pistorius said they would take legal action against Lifetime films over the new movie due to hit the silver screen in the US on November 11.
“The film is a gross misrepresentation of the truth. It is rather a representation of what the prosecution tried to portray during the trial,” Carl Pistorius, Oscar’s brother, said on Tuesday.
This followed the news that the film, Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer, is set to be released soon.
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The lead role of Oscar will be played by Andreas Damm, who matriculated at the prestigious Michaelhouse private school in the Natal Midlands. He is now an upcoming Los Angeles actor.
The life and love between Oscar and his murdered model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp is enacted in the film, as well as what preceded the murder. But what is portrayed in the trailer is a far stretch from what came out in the court case.
Carl said the Pistorius family distanced themselves from the film.
“The film was made with blatant disregard of the Steenkamp and Pistorius families, as well as complete disregard for Reeva and Oscar. Neither Oscar, the defence nor the family were involved in the production of the film in any way.
“The film is not a true reflection of what happened on the day of the tragedy and the subsequent trial... It is a gross distortion of the findings of the court,” he said.
Oscar was subjected to a month-long psychological evaluation insisted on by the prosecution, Carl said. “The psychological evaluation of Oscar was by leading minds in the field. Oscar was subjected to in-depth assessments and ongoing tests daily. At no stage was Oscar found to have the mind of a killer.”
Carl did not explain the form of legal action the family would take.
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The lawyer of June and Barry Steenkamp, Tania Koen, has said they too would consider legal action.
The film tells the story from the Steenkamps’ point of view, but they were also never consulted. The Steenkamps made it clear they too distanced themselves from the film.
Meanwhile, support for Oscar is still streaming in via the Support for Oscar website. Fans send messages such as “Tomorrow belongs to you” and “Never give in”, poems and pictures of flowers.