1 month ago
EXCLUSIVE: AITA Films, nan accumulation institution down nan beleaguered Simon Pegg movie Angels In The Asylum, is to fold amid an ongoing financing dispute.
AITA Films has been successful management (a process balanced to Chapter 11 bankruptcy successful America) for much than a twelvemonth since nan movie halted its sprout successful February 2025, but nan institution will now beryllium unopen down, owing creditors £3.8M ($5M).
In a statement, a spokesperson for Angels In The Asylum blamed nan closure connected nan movie being incapable to resoluteness financing issues pinch John Cairns and his company, Parkland Pictures. Cairns maintains his institution had nary statement to finance Angels successful nan Asylum beyond its activity arsenic a income agent.
“Production was paused because expected backing from Mr Robert John Cairns and Parkland Pictures, which had been promised respective months earlier, did not materialise,” nan spokesperson said. “When shooting was owed to start, Mr Cairns past personally guaranteed a bridging indebtedness from Brandhouse Global Limited, whilst maintaining that nan promised backing would get imminently.”
They continued: “That bridging indebtedness has since created a analyzable business astir nan production’s intelligence spot which has prevented nan task from moving forward. We person made proposals to Brandhouse Global that would let nan IP to beryllium released truthful that nan movie tin beryllium completed, but unluckily those discussions person not yet led to a resolution, and this has near nan administrator nary prime but to let nan institution to fold.”
Cairns told Deadline: “Parkland Pictures’ statement was arsenic income supplier to nan movie Angels In The Asylum. Neither I, nor Parkland Pictures, had an statement to money nan film. The producers went up and started nan movie without nan afloat backing successful place.”
The Angels In The Asylum spokesperson said nan financing and bridging indebtedness were “facilitated by a erstwhile workfellow who is nary longer connected pinch nan project.”
They did not specify who this individual was. Rob Sorrenti, nan sole institution head astatine AITA Films, served arsenic shaper and head of Angels In The Asylum. Sorrenti worked intimately pinch Heather Greenwood, who co-produced Gavin & Stacey: The Finale.
The spokesperson added: “The only viable way to complete nan movie is for this IP to beryllium successful production. We person done everything successful our powerfulness to make this hap and stay afloat committed to doing so.”
Deadline revealed past period how nan British government’s Redundancy Payments Service had stepped successful to repay immoderate of nan astir £600,000 ($800,000) owed to group employed connected nan indie feature.
Angels successful nan Asylum workers are not getting nan afloat magnitude owed. One unit personnel said they expected to person astir a 3rd of what they should person been paid. They were furious that much had not been done to support those who mislaid money erstwhile nan movie collapsed.
“It’s perfectly outrageous,” this personification said. “The authorities is paying up for nan mistakes of nan producers. This is not why I salary my taxes. Pegg and nan executive producers could constitute this disconnected successful a 2nd and salary everyone off.”
Inspired by existent events, Angels successful nan Asylum co-stars Katherine Waterston, Minnie Driver, Lesley Nicol, Rose Williams, Aurora Perrineau, and Alex Jennings. It centers connected women who were forcibly confined successful isolation astatine Surrey’s Long Grove Asylum successful nan 1930s aft being deemed to beryllium typhoid carriers.
Pegg starred successful nan movie and served arsenic an executive producer, but was not progressive successful its finances and was not paid for his work.
Full ‘Angels successful nan Asylum’ Spokesperson Statement:
“We person coming been notified that, contempt our efforts to sphere nan company, nan administrator intends to upwind down AITA Films Ltd.“Angels successful nan Asylum has been 18 years successful development, and since we were forced into hiatus, we person worked extensively to unafraid caller financing, complete nan movie and meet our obligations to creditors.
“Production was paused because expected backing from Mr Robert John Cairns and Parkland Pictures, which had been promised respective months earlier, did not materialise.
“When shooting was owed to start, Mr Cairns past personally guaranteed a bridging indebtedness from Brandhouse Global Limited, whilst maintaining that nan promised backing would get imminently.
“Both of these agreements were facilitated by a erstwhile workfellow who is nary longer connected pinch nan project.
“That bridging indebtedness has since created a analyzable business astir nan production’s intelligence spot which has prevented nan task from moving forward.
“We person made proposals to Brandhouse Global that would let nan IP to beryllium released truthful that nan movie tin beryllium completed, but unluckily those discussions person not yet led to a resolution, and this has near nan administrator nary prime but to let nan institution to fold.
“The only viable way to complete nan movie is for this IP to beryllium successful nan production. We person done everything successful our powerfulness to make this hap and stay afloat committed to doing so.”
