A British independent film starring Simon Pegg has left cast, crew and suppliers unpaid to the tune of $5 million after production was halted six months ago, according to financial filings.
“Angels in the Asylum,” which also stars Katherine Waterston and Minnie Driver, stopped filming in February after just 15 days of what was planned to be a month-long shoot. The production company has since filed for administration, the UK equivalent of bankruptcy.
The film began production without its financing fully secured, leading to the shutdown when expected funding failed to materialize. Simon Pegg, who serves as executive producer, has not been paid for his work on the project.
According to documents filed by administrators, cast members are owed at least £374,649 ($475,000), while crew members are owed approximately £600,000 ($760,000). Trade creditors, likely including film studios and equipment suppliers, are owed £1.39 million ($1.76 million).
The largest single creditor is Brandhouse Global Limited, which provided £486,966 in emergency financing when other expected funding fell through.
First-time feature director Rob Sorrenti and producer Heather Greenwood previously apologized to angry crew members, saying the situation “was never what we could possibly have imagined when we started this journey.”
However, administrators report that discussions with potential new funders are progressing well. If new financing is secured, all creditors would be paid in full and production could resume. The film’s sets remain in storage until September while negotiations continue.
If funding talks fail, only “preferential” creditors – primarily employees owed wages and tax authorities – would receive payment.
The film is based on true events about women forcibly confined at Surrey’s Long Grove Asylum in the 1930s after being labeled typhoid carriers. The cast also includes Lesley Nicol, Rose Williams, Aurora Perrineau, and Alex Jennings.
Film industry unions Bectu and Equity are supporting affected members. Bectu leader Philippa Childs said workers “have already faced an incredibly challenging few years” and being unpaid would create additional financial hardship.
“While this situation is unfortunately symptomatic of a very unstable industry, it is the crew who are too often the first to suffer,” Childs added.
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