Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was fired for cause after at least one incident on the Australian set of the indie action thriller Runner. Spilo subsequently was dismissed as manager by the film’s star, Alan Ritchson, and sent home shortly after, multiple sources have confirmed to Deadline.
Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included bullying and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came after an HR investigation, and the Jack Reacher star parted ways with the manager at the same time. This all happened a week ago.
You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of the Idols, when he became the first contestant on the show to be sent home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This came after two female contestants said they were made uncomfortable by Spilo’s touchy-feely manner. This played out before the cameras, and Spilo survived that. The torch snuffer came after a member of the show’s crew lodged a similar complaint and Spilo was eliminated and sent home.
Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a different picture of events, noting that things quickly got awkward in the aftermath of the exchange, with Spilo choosing to leave set of his own accord, recognizing what was best for the project. Emotions were high for Spilo, were told, as he’d recently been dealing with the health challenges of a family member in Israel, which is where he set off for as soon as he was dismissed from Runner.
Sources close to production caution, however, that when it comes to Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated incident, pointing to his exit from Survivor as just one example.
Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List script by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The project still has a week or two left of shooting. In addition to Ritchson, and following Spilo’s dismissal, producers include Todd Garner of Broken Road Productions, Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures and Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard. Lauren Gennawey is exec producing for Broken Road, along with Matthew Goldberg for Nickel City.
The post Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set appeared first on Deadline.
