Bryan Cranston vows not to film or promote Lone Wolf until cast and crew are paid

Bryan Cranston will not return to film Lone Wolf until the rest of the cast and crew are paid.

The Breaking Bad actor admitted he is "distressed" by the challenges facing the movie, whose shoot came to an abrupt halt some months ago, as Deadline revealed there is a $2 million shortfall in funding, meaning crew, vendors and some actors are still owed at least one week's wages and filming is not yet complete.

And now Bryan - who confirmed he has been paid - has pledged not to work on, or promote, Lone Wolf until the situation has been resolved and said he believes co-star Lily Gladstone feels the same way.

He told the outlet: "It is very unfortunate that this intriguing little story was sideswiped by a few incidents that temporarily derailed the film’s production. I don’t know all the details – only from what I’m hearing second hand (I am not a producer on this film) so all I can relay is what I do know.

“For some reason money that was promised to be deposited into the escrow accounts for the cast and crew were not done so in a timely manner. That caused a couple stoppages to the shooting. Then, apparently some portion of what was promised was deposited, and that lifted the DO NOT WORK order and we started up again.

“Right now, there is a strong effort to raise the necessary capital to finish the film, and I think that will happen for two main reasons: One, because the missing few scenes (approximately over two shooting days) are vital to the story. And two, that I (and I think I speak for Lily as well) will not do anything to promote the film until every cast and crew member is paid back in full, and we will not appear on screen again (ie return to filming) for this movie until that happens.

“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."

Bryan branded the situation "a mess" but is confident it will be resolved.

He said: “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.”

Jordan Wagner's Wagner Media Finance had to step in to take over the production, having been assigned it from Yale Productions, which recently went bankrupt but say they have met their funding obligations.

The producer admitted the process has been "extremely challenging and, at time, frustrating" but the problems arose due to a "breakdown int he financing structure".

He added: "We are working collaboratively with the project’s other lenders, financiers, and producers to chart a responsible path forward. I continue to believe in the creative vision behind this film, and despite the financial turbulence, I truly believe audiences will connect with it once it’s completed.

"Our priorities are clear: protect investor capital, ensure the cast, crew, and vendors are paid what they are owed for what appears to be the final week of production, finish post, and work toward delivering the finished film to our distribution partners.”