Angels in the Asylum, a British Indie film directed by Rob Sorrenti had to stop filming in February 2025, just 15 days into a month-long shoot. It has now been reported that cast and crew members are still being owed a total of $5 million (£3.7 million).
The film focuses on women who were involuntarily isolated at Long Grove Asylum in Surrey during the 1930s because they were considered to be spreading typhoid. Deadline reports that it took 15 years to bring this film into production with funding from other investors, including Sorrenti and Heather Greenwood, a co-producer. It was however mounted without its financing fully in place. Thus when the film ran out of funding and had to stop filming indefinitely, about 150 people were left out of work and crew members were owed at least three weeks’ wages, expenses, and holiday pay as per Deadline. Some crew members were pursuing legal claims to recover their pay. Others expressed their fury publicly. “The producers were in over their heads,” one source said.
The precise figures owed to cast members come down to £374,649. On the other hand, trade and expense creditors are out of pocket by £1.39 million. As per Deadline, crew members are being owed at least £600,000 in wages.
“All Creditors Will Be Paid In Full”: AITA Film’s Administrator Provides Update on Film’s Hiatus
Image via Paramount Pictures/Skydance
AITA Films Limited, the company set up to manage the film’s rights and finances, filed for an equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US, in April. Recently, Kallis Insolvency Practitioners, AITA Films’ administrator, released a report providing an update on the financial situation of Angels in the Asylum.
Asides from a breakdown of the amount owed to financiers, cast, crew and suppliers as earlier mentioned, the administrator’s report also stated that conversations with would-be financiers were advancing positively. It emphasized that while these discussions continued, a detailed vetting process was being carried out by the funding parties and their legal advisors to ensure all requirements were met. Also, the report relayed that all creditors will be paid in full should funding be secured. Among these creditors is Bradhouse Global Limited which provided £486,966 in interim financing after funding anticipated from Parkland Pictures did not materialize.
Philippa Childs of Bectu and Equity gave their support to members affected by the hiatus in a statement to Deadline. According to Childs, workers in the film and television industry had faced significant challenges in recent years, and not receiving payment would worsen the financial difficulties of those who had worked on the project. Childs noted that although this situation was indicative of a volatile industry, crew members were often the most vulnerable when productions ran into trouble.
At this time, Angels in the Asylum has still not resumed filming.
 |
Angels in the Asylum |
|---|---|
| Cast | Simon Pegg, Katherine Waterston, Minnie Driver, Rose Williams, Aurora Perrineau, Miriam Margolyes |
| Release Date | TBA – production halted February 2025 after 15 days of shooting |
| Stream On | Not applicable (film incomplete) |
| Directed by | Rob Sorrenti |
| Produced by | Heather Greenwood, Rob Sorrenti (AITA Films Limited) |
| Based On | Inspired by BBC exposé on women wrongfully held as typhoid carriers at Surrey’s Long Grove Asylum (early 20th century) |
| Plot Summary | Period drama exploring the plight of women institutionalized in Long Grove Asylum; based on real history |
| Musical Elements | Not yet announced (no post-production started) |
| Current Status | Filming halted mid-February 2025 due to funding crisis; cast & crew owed ~£3.7M ($5M), production company in administration |
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