Jane Austen Film Collapses, Crew Left Broke

British film crew members are taking legal action following the collapse of a £7 million adaptation of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. The production, which was in advanced pre-production in Bath and Bristol in early 2025, was halted due to financing issues, leaving many crew members unpaid.

Some individuals are owed tens of thousands of pounds, with total debts speculated to reach £200,000. The UK creative industry union, Bectu, is assisting in the pursuit of these missing earnings, and several crew members have initiated employment tribunal proceedings.

American producers David Alan Ruben, Jonathan Tosetti, and Kathy Rich-McFarland are cited as being inexperienced. They secured an agreement with media fund APX Group for £3.8 million of the £7 million budget. However, Ruben alleged in February 2025 that APX failed to deliver the finance, a claim APX denies, stating the producers breached their obligations.

APX Group chairman Adi Cohen asserts that their funding commitment did not cover cast or crew costs, which were the producers' responsibility. He claims APX is also owed approximately $430,000 and is pursuing this through counsel. The producers maintain they are still trying to remount the film and will pay crew once production resumes.

This incident is the third high-profile UK independent film failure reported recently, raising calls for stricter rules requiring proof of funding before production begins.