EXCLUSIVE: Angels in the Asylum, a British indie film starring Simon Pegg and Katherine Waterston, has stopped shooting indefinitely after running out of cash midway through production, Deadline can reveal.
Angels in the Asylum was mounted without its financing fully in place and had to halt filming in February, 15 days into a month-long shoot. There is no clarity on when the £5M ($6.4M) production might restart as producers scramble to bring in new finance.
Angels in the Asylum set out to tell an important story about women incarcerated against their wishes, but has created a messy legacy in which crew members are said to be owed at least £600,000 in wages. Cast pay was ringfenced in an escrow account under Equity union agreements.
Inspired by true events, Angels in the Asylum co-stars Minnie Driver, Miriam Margolyes, Rose Williams, Aurora Perrineau, and Alex Jennings. It centers on women who were forcibly confined in isolation at Surrey’s Long Grove Asylum in the 1930s after being deemed to be typhoid carriers. Those who have worked on the film talk animatedly about the strength of the script and rushes.
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Angels in the Asylum is housed at special purpose vehicle AITA Films Limited, with first-time feature director Rob Sorrenti serving as producer alongside Heather Greenwood, who co-produced Gavin & Stacey: The Finale. Pegg is an executive producer, though he has not invested in the film and has not been paid for his work to date. The Crown director Steven Daldry is also an executive producer.
The reasons for the financial strife are disputed. The position of Sorrenti and Greenwood is that funding under an arrangement with distributor Parkland Pictures has not materialized. In a statement, they said it was “devastating” that Angels in the Asylum did not have the funds to carry on shooting. They are in talks with other financiers in a bid to resurrect the movie and “remain determined to find a solution.”
Parkland CEO John Cairns told Deadline that his company had no agreement to finance Angels in the Asylum beyond its work as a sales agent. He added that proposed tax credit funding through Parkland Film Capital was not finalized and, even if it was, there would still be a “very large gap” in the budget. The film was repped by Parkland at EFM, per Screen International.
Angels in the Asylum was able to begin production with funding from other investors, while Sorrenti and Greenwood also put cash into the project. Around 150 people were left out of work when the film went on hiatus, with crew members being owed at least three weeks’ wages, expenses, and holiday pay. Suppliers are also said to be significantly out of pocket.
Some crew members said they had been left in financial jeopardy amid precarious conditions in the UK film and TV production industry. A small number of people are pursuing legal claims in an effort to recover the money they are owed. Bectu and Equity are supporting members impacted by the hiatus.
Those caught up in the collapse are furious, with some complaining that the issues have been compounded by poor communication and false hope from those running the production. When filming paused in February, producers said they hoped it would be a week before production could resume. “We have been strung along, it’s unbelievable,” said one person. Another source added: “The producers were in over their heads.”
The position of the producers is that they have been working tirelessly to resolve the funding gap. Sorrenti and Greenwood said they have also not been paid and are working to resuscitate the film without remuneration. They are said to be heartbroken about what has taken place.
In an email update on Tuesday, Sorrenti and Greenwood told the crew: “We appreciate how difficult this is for everyone. We’re incredibly sorry. We endeavour to give you all an update as soon as possible, but the situation is incredibly complex … Please know we are in this with you, neither of us intended to be in this situation and have been personally affected by it too.”
When crew members were gathered and told about the hiatus in February, Greenwood acknowledged that it was not “ideal” for anyone concerned, per a recording obtained by Deadline. “This film is going to get made. The financiers want this film to be made and will continue to support it. We are in a situation that is unprecedented,” she said.
Pegg, whose agent did not respond to a request for comment, also addressed the team. “We’re making something really special here, something important. This is a crisis, but it’s also an opportunity, and we’ll be back soon,” he said.
They asked the crew to finish the day, with Pegg joking: “The last scenes of the day are in there with me and Alex Jennings, and we’re both really entertaining. If you fancy sticking around for that, we’d love to f*****g have you.” The gag got a laugh in the room, but some crew members are now questioning why they honored this request as the hiatus has lengthened.
In a statement, Sorrenti and Greenwood said: “Angels In the Asylum is a story of an extreme injustice in the 1930s where numerous women were locked away in a mental asylum, one we feel extremely passionate about bringing to public recognition. It has taken 15 years to bring the film into production. It was devastating when we were forced to halt filming due to our second round of financing failing to materialise. After being let down we were forced into hiatus.
“Since that time, we have been desperately trying to raise finance with the goal of addressing our outstanding obligations to both our cast and crew. We have also put some of our own funds into the project, but sadly, it hasn’t been enough to rectify the situation. We remain determined to find a solution. We also want to make it very clear that we, the producers, have not been paid for our work on the production.”
Cairns, the boss of Parkland, said he remains interested in helping Angels In the Asylum find funding. “This won’t be the end of the road for Angels in the Asylum. It is an extremely good script/story and everyone has worked very hard and is determined to find a way to complete the film with everyone paid,” he said.
The post Simon Pegg Film ‘Angels In The Asylum’ Halts Shoot Indefinitely After Funding “Crisis” Leaves Crew, Producers & Suppliers Out Of Pocket appeared first on Deadline.
