The family of disgraced Olympian Oscar Pistorius is to take legal action over a new Hollywood film which portrays the amputee sprinter as having the ‘mind of a killer’.
The family of former sprint star Oscar – who was imprisoned for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead in his home in Pretortia, South Africa in 2013 – say they will sue as they claim it bends the truth.
His brother Carl released a statement in which he said the Pistorius family distances themselves from the Hollywood film and sources say they have retained a top barrister.
The first trailer has emerged for a movie about Oscar Pistorius and the murder of Reeva Steenkamp – showing the athlete shooting his girlfriend and their violent arguments before her death
Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer charts the run-up to the murder on Valentine’s Day 2013 at his home in Pretoria, South Africa – and the courtroom dramas that followed. It stars Andreas Damm as the 30-year-old double-leg amputee and Toni Garrn (pictured) as girlfriend Steenkamp
Drama: The minute-long trailer ends with Pistorius tearfully telling a court: ‘I truly loved her’
The film, set to premiere in the US in November, has been written by Amber Benson, best known for playing Tara on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and is produced by Lifetime.
In one scene, Pistorius, played by Andreas Damm, tells his girlfriend, played by model Toni Garrn, she will be his ‘personal angel’ as he trains for the Olympics.
In another, the pair is having a row before he picks up a weapon, ordering her to ‘get back here’. The minute-long trailer ends with Pistorius tearfully telling a court: ‘I truly loved her’.
Carl Pistorius said in a statement yesterday: ‘The film was made with blatant disregard of both the Steenkamp and Pistorius families, as well as complete disregard for Reeva and Oscar.
‘Neither Oscar, the defence or the family were involved in the production of this ‘film’ in anyway.
‘The ‘film’ is not true reflection of what happened on the day of this tragedy and the subsequent trial of the matter.
Pistorius (right) initially escaped a murder conviction for shooting Reeva (left) through a locked bathroom door three years ago. The pair are pictured together in 2012
In one scene Pistorius he challenges Steenkamp to ‘prove to me that this is what you want and that you are worthy of me and this relationship’ before she strips to her underwear and climbs into bed with him
Pistorius can be seen brandishing a gun during the trailer for the film, which is due to be released in November
Shooting: The film includes a scene where Pistorius shoots apparently believing there is an intruder in the house
The film charts the fall-out from the killing and the police investigation into the death. One scene shows bullet holes in a door
‘The ‘film’ titled ‘Oscar Pistorius – The Blade Runner Killer’ is a gross distortion of the findings of the court.
‘Oscar was subjected to a month long psychological evaluation which was insisted upon by the prosecution; the psychological evaluation of Oscar was undertaken by leading minds in the field.
‘Oscar was subjected to in depth assessments and on-going tests almost daily for a month long; at no stage was Oscar found to have the mind of a killer.
‘The ‘film’ is a gross misrepresentation of the truth. The ‘film’ is rather a representation of what the prosecution tried to portray.
‘We will be taking legal action’.
On Monday afternoon, the Steenkamp family released a statement saying they did not endorse the movie either and were considering legal action themselves.
Anger: The parents of murdered Reeva Steenkamp Barry (left) and June (centre) are ‘furious and horrified’ at a new Hollywood movie about Oscar Pistorius shooting their daughter.
Blasted: Reeva’s sister Simone, speaking exclusively to MailOnline from her home in South Africa, dismissed the movie as simply ‘a money making exercise and very wishy-washy.’
‘Mortified’: Reeva’s sister Simone said her parents are angry about the new Hollywood film about her death. She said: ‘My mother was mortified when she first found about it. When I told her about it, she said ‘You have upset me now’. She was not happy.’
In the dark: Reeva’s parents Barry and June Steenkamp had no knowledge of the making of the film ‘Blade Runner Killer’, the model’s sister Simone said. They are horrified and upset to read a report that ‘the movie is told from Steenkamp and her mother’s perspective’, she added.
The Steenkamp statement reads: ‘They are horrified and upset to read a report that ‘the movie is told from Steenkamp and her mother’s perspective’.
June Steenkamp was not approached by Lifetime to participate, comment or be part of the making of the film, and did not give the producers any assistance.
‘Any impression that is created that this is June’s view, or that the movie is endorsed by the Steenkamp family, is untrue and incorrect.’
Reeva was gunned down by Pistorius, the first Paralympian to compete in the Olympics in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013. He claimed he mistook her for a burglar when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.
Pistorius, who became the first-ever double amputee to compete in the Olympic Games at London 2012, pleaded not guilty at his trial in 2014.
He denied killing Steenkamp in a rage, claiming that he was trying to protect her.
Shot dead: Model Reeva (pictured) was killed when her boyfriend Pistorius shot her through the bathroom door on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
Oscar Pistorius (pictured) was jailed for six years in 2016 for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
Court appearance: But after a series of legal delays and a trail over a six month period, he was found guilty on September 12 2014 of culpable homicide or manslaughter. Pistorius walks in the courtroom without his prosthetic legs in a dramatic demonstration of his disability in court.
During his trial Pistorius denied any suggestion that he knew Reeva was behind the door, often breaking down in tears weeping, wailing and praying whenever details of her injuries were heard.
But after a series of legal delays and a trail over a six month period, he was found guilty on September 12 2014 of culpable homicide or manslaughter.
He was given a five year sentence, but the decision to free him from jail and out him under house arrest for the remaining four years of his term caused uproar.
Over a two year period, he was brought before the courts several times.
The Supreme Court of Appeal convicted Pistorius of murder, saying his testimony was ‘vacillating and untruthful’, in 2015 and last year he began a six year sentence.
Last week, it was announced Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa will hear the state’s appeal against Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius’ ‘shockingly lenient’ six-year murder sentence in 2016.
The appeal will be heard on November 3, the National Prosecuting Authority said.