Producer Of Doomed Simon Pegg Film ‘Angels In The Asylum’ Takes Swing At Financier As Company Folds
AITA Films, the production company behind Simon Pegg's 'Angels In The Asylum,' is folding after more than a year in administration due to unresolved financing disputes. The company blames financier John Cairns and Parkland Pictures for failing to deliver promised funding, while Cairns denies any obligation to finance the film beyond a sales agreement. A bridging loan from Brandhouse Global has tied up the film's intellectual property, blocking progress and leading to the company's closure with £3.8M in debts. The UK government has partially compensated unpaid crew, but many remain frustrated over lost wages.
- ▪AITA Films is shutting down after failing to resolve financing issues, owing £3.8M ($5M) to creditors.
- ▪The production halted in February 2025 when expected funding from John Cairns and Parkland Pictures did not materialize.
- ▪John Cairns denies any agreement to fund the film, stating his role was limited to sales agent through Parkland Pictures.
- ▪A bridging loan from Brandhouse Global has created legal complications over the film’s intellectual property, preventing completion.
- ▪The UK’s Redundancy Payments Service has partially reimbursed crew members, who are still owed around two-thirds of their pay.
Full article excerpt tap to expand
Simon Pegg stars in 'Angels In The Asylum' Getty EXCLUSIVE: AITA Films, the production company behind the beleaguered Simon Pegg film Angels In The Asylum, is to fold amid an ongoing financing dispute. AITA Films has been in administration (a process equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy in America) for more than a year since the film halted its shoot in February 2025, but the company will now be shut down, owing creditors £3.8M ($5M). In a statement, a spokesperson for Angels In The Asylum blamed the closure on the film being unable to resolve financing issues with John Cairns and his company, Parkland Pictures. Cairns maintains his company had no agreement to finance Angels in the Asylum beyond its work as a sales agent. blogherads.adq.push(function () { blogherads .defineSlot( 'medrec', 'gpt-dsk-tab-mid-article1-uid0' ) .setTargeting( 'pos', ["mid-article1","mid","mid-articleX","mid-article","300x251"] ) .setTargeting( 'viewable', 'yes' ) .setSubAdUnitPath("ros\/mid-article") .addSize([[2,2],[300,250],[620,350],[300,251],[501,282],[3,3],[2,4],[4,2],[620,366]]) .exemptFromSleep() .setClsOptimization("minsize") ; }); Watch on Deadline if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { pmcCnx({ settings: { plugins: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, } } }, playerId: '32fe25c4-79aa-406a-af44-69b41e969e71', playlistId: '0199e506-e642-7728-8264-463efe71337b', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); }); } else { // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); } Related Stories News After Collapse Of Simon Pegg Film 'Angels In The Asylum,' UK Taxpayers Pick Up Bill For Unpaid Crew News 'Only What We Carry': Simon Pegg, Sofia Boutella, Charlotte Gainsbourg & Quentin Tarantino Drama Heads To EFM With IFT; First-Look Image Revealed “Production was paused because expected funding from Mr Robert John Cairns and Parkland Pictures, which had been promised several months earlier, did not materialise,” the spokesperson said. “When shooting was due to start, Mr Cairns then personally guaranteed a bridging loan from Brandhouse Global Limited, whilst maintaining that the promised funding would arrive imminently.” They continued: “That bridging loan has since created a complex situation around the production’s intellectual property which has prevented the project from moving forward. We have made proposals to Brandhouse Global that would allow the IP to be released so that the film can be completed, but unfortunately those discussions have not yet led to a resolution, and this has left the administrator no choice but to allow the company to fold.” Cairns told Deadline: “Parkland Pictures’ agreement was as sales agent to the film Angels In The Asylum. Neither I, nor Parkland Pictures, had an agreement to fund the film. The producers went ahead and started the film without the full funding in place.” The Angels In The Asylum spokesperson said the financing and bridging loan were “facilitated by a former colleague who is no longer connected with the project.” They did not specify who this individual was. Rob Sorrenti, the sole company director at AITA Films, served as producer and director of Angels In The Asylum. Sorrenti worked closely with Heather Greenwood, who co-produced Gavin & Stacey: The Finale. blogherads.adq.push(function () { blogherads .defineSlot( 'medrec', 'gpt-dl-mid-article-inject2-uid1' ) .setTargeting( 'pos',…
This excerpt is published under fair use for community discussion. Read the full article at Deadline.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Deadline
