A new period drama starring Simon Pegg and Katherine Waterston has been forced to stop production after experiencing financial problems.
Angels in the Asylum, which is directed by Rob Sorrenti, is a true story about a group of women who were wrongly imprisoned in a mental institution in Surrey after being deemed to be typhoid carriers in the first half of the 20th century.
The film, which was already midway through its month-long production, also starred Minnie Driver, Aurora Perrineau, Rose Williams and Alex Jennings.
Deadline reports that the film's budget was set at £4.9m but had begun shooting without all of its money in place. Just 15 days into the shoot in February, a gap in the budget emerged and the shoot had to be put on a hiatus. It has not been confirmed what the issue with the money was or when the problem might be resolved.
To add to the strife, the report states that the film’s production crew have not been paid for their work so far. It’s claimed the crew are owed £600,000 in unpaid wages.
In an email update, reportedly sent by Sorrenti and producer Heather Greenwood on Tuesday (25 March), the crew were told: “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.”
A further statement from 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 finances 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.”
John Cairns, the CEO of the film’s distributor Parkland Pictures, said in his own statement: “This won’t be the end of the road for Angels In The Asylum.
“Everyone has worked very hard and is determined to find a way to complete the film with everyone paid,” he added.
