The Star & Garter pub has been left high and dry by the makers of a Hollywood movie starring Welsh actor Luke Evans. Producers of the revenge drama used it as a location, but still owe the pub more than £10,000 in agreed fees for using the venue as stand-in for a New York dive bar.
Called 5lbs of Pressure, it was filmed at the end of last summer, but nearly six months on landlord Andy Martin has not been seen a penny. “They filmed last October over about a fortnight, and since then it’s just been this same excuse about investors dropping out, new investors, bridging loans. Then saying it’s all been signed and the money will be in next week.
“And it’s not just me. There are crew-members and contractors that were brought in to do artwork and build sets.
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“As far as I know, the actors got paid. One of the extras was a fairly regular attendee at the pub for years, so I messaged him asking if he’d got paid, and he said ‘oh yeah’. He was playing a New York citizen. He’s from Stockport. It’s another one of those set in ‘New York’. But, y’know, it’s Tib Street.”
The movie has been written and directed by Phil Allocco, who made 2018 movie The Truth About Lies, and it also stars British actor and Magic Mike star Alex Pettyfer and Rory Culkin, younger brother of Macaulay and Kieran Culkin.
It follows Evans’ character Adam ‘searching for redemption as he returns to his old neighbourhood to put to rest his demons while the brother of the man he killed seeks revenge’. Andy says that using the pub as a location has been a source of income ‘for years’ and has ‘paid the bills for a long time’.
“If you consider that £4,500 is three months’ lease on this building, it pays for six months’ lease,” says Andy. “I’ve got two kids, and I’m supposed to be getting married in October. I’ve got a wedding to pay for.”
Now Manchester's night time economy advisor Sacha Lord has also threatened to send in the lawyers to retrieve the money owed. He tweeted: “Especially under the current climate, imagine not paying independent Hospitality venues or freelancers. I've given them 10 working days notice to pay up, or the lawyers come in. You can't treat people like that. It's disgusting.”
Andy has even been tweeting all the stars of the movie, including Beauty and the Beast star Evans, tagging them into his pleas for the company to pay up. But so far to no avail.
After 5 months we are still waiting for the location fee owed to us for the #5lbsofpressure shoot. We have been given the same excuse about contracts and bridging loans and how @TheRealLukevans allegedly upped his fee because he was more famous now. Just pay what you owe.
— The Star and Garter (@Star_GarterManc)
“[Producer Zac Weinstein] had radio silence on me, because every week I was messaging him going ‘Zac, you said the money would be here and it’s not, so where is it?’ and then he stopped replying,” Andy went on, adding that he has no plans to write off the money owed, which adds up to £10,250 in all.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, producer Zac Weinstein, of Paint Night Productions, said: “We absolutely will pay the Star and Garter, and all other vendors and crew who have outstanding invoices with the production.
“This has been an awful situation brought on by a painful chain of events that has resulted in the final tranche of the financing for the film being delayed.
“I have remained in touch with the crew and vendors individually on calls, as well as emails. We are very close to rectifying this situation and it has truly been a nightmare for us all.
“I understand their frustration completely and I sincerely apologise. It was of course never the intention of my team to allow this to happen and we are working around the clock and on the verge of fixing it.”
Originally a hotel, the Star & Garter on Fairfield Street opposite Piccadilly Station, was built in 1803. It’s been the location for dozens of film and TV productions over the years, from Cracker and Prime Suspect to Russell T. Davies’ It’s A Sin and Sky comedy-drama Brassic.
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