The Daily Populous Saturday July 12nd, 2025 morning edition
Authored by deadline.com and submitted by mcfw31

EXCLUSIVE: Bryan Cranston has made his position clear regarding the ongoing funding challenges facing indie movie Lone Wolf.

In a message to Deadline, which you can read in full below, the Breaking Bad and Trumbo star said he won’t return to finish filming or promote the feature until all cast and crew that are owed money are paid back in full. A “distressed” Cranston, who himself has been paid for his work to date, has spoken to multiple co-stars who are still owed money.

As we revealed earlier today, there is around a $2M shortfall in funding on the project, whose shoot came to an abrupt halt months ago. Crew, vendors and some cast are still owed at least one week’s wages, and there remains filming to be done. As noted by financier-producer Jordan Wagner to us today, the project suffered a “breakdown in the financing structure”, and financiers have been scrambling to plug gaps. You can read Wagner’s statement and the latest on the situation here and more about the original crew response here.

Shortly after our story went up earlier today, I got a call from another financier on the project who said he hadn’t known a situation quite like this on a movie in more than two decades in the business. As we’ve noted before, legal action is being discussed by different parties.

Indie movies hitting snags is not uncommon, but it is more rare for projects of a certain scale and with as many good elements as Lone Wolf to trip up like this during production.

Mark Pellington directs the conspiracy thriller about a troubled veteran (Lily Gladstone) struggling with addiction who is recruited by a contractor (Cranston) for a covert government plot to assassinate a high-level politician. Cast also includes O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Jennifer Ehle, Chet Hanks and Spencer Garrett. The producing team includes Oscar nominee Christine Vachon and vet Ted Hope, alongside others.

Bryan Cranston’s message to Deadline, which he is happy for us to share:

theartfulcodger on July 12nd, 2025 at 00:14 UTC »

Did this film not have a completion guarantee and/or bond in place?

It's very unusual for an indie film without major studio backing to go ahead without them, because in these days of loosey-goosey financing involving multiple sources (some of which can be pretty sketchy), very few principal cast and above-the-line types, i.e. contract indie producers, are willing to take the risk of not being paid if/when the money train derails.

If the principal producers cannot come up with the necessary funds to finish, even after having been given a couple of months' hiatus to do so, and there are only two days of principal photography remaining on the AD's board, why is production / post not already in the hands of the guarantor? It is, after all, their responsibility to provide the necessary funding to completion, and usually to take over the production as a means of ensuring it.

GenericNerd15 on July 11st, 2025 at 23:27 UTC »

The man's a class act.

mcfw31 on July 11st, 2025 at 23:10 UTC »

> “In full transparency, I was paid for my part in this film even before the last temporary work stoppage – so I was surprised when I found out that we had to stop again, and that most of the crew didn’t get, as far as I know, their last two weeks of pay, nor did the co-stars in the movie.

> “That is where it stands now…I’m distressed that this has caused so much grief and distrust, and so sorry that this crew (which was fantastic) were not treated with the respect they deserved, but I really believe that the producers will manage these difficult times by making everyone whole, and we’ll finish the film….Man, what a mess. BC.”