23 year old actor
Griffin O'Neal was cast in this movie, but was replaced when the Director's 22 year old son,
Gian-Carlo Coppola (a film producer) was killed in a speedboating accident in May 1986 in Annapolis, Maryland. Griffin O'Neal, who was driving the boat while using drugs, had attempted to pass between two slow-moving boats, failing to realize in his haste that both boats were connected by a very long towline. While O'Neal barely had time to duck, young Coppola was struck, throwing his body to the metal deck, sustaining head injuries whereby he died instantly. At the time of the incident, O'Neal was being directed by
Francis Ford Coppola in Gardens of Stone and was subsequently replaced. O'Neal was later charged with manslaughter over the tragedy. He was ultimately fined $200 and sentenced to 18 months probation in 1987, eventually receiving an 18-day jail sentence for not performing 400 hours of community service as ordered. A law was later passed requiring short towlines between boats. At the time of his death, Coppola's fiancee,
Jaqueline De La Fontaine, was two months pregnant with their only daughter, Gian-Carla Coppola, who was born on January 1, 1987.
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