A new layer was just added to the discourse surrounding the financial troubles Bryan Cranston’s movie, Lone Wolf, is facing. It was reported a couple of months ago that the production was apparently not paying some of its cast and crew in full. Now, the Breaking Bad actor has spoken out about the situation, and he vowed “not to appear on screen again” until everyone gets the compensation they deserve.
In a statement given to Deadline, Cranston, who leads the conspiracy thriller alongside Lily Gladstone, explained that the publication's initial report about Lone Wolf was accurate as far as he knew. And, since he’s not a producer on the project, he laid out the “second-hand” information he had, explaining:
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.
Reportedly, the film has a shortfall of $2 million, and it needs that to complete filming, Deadline reported in another story. It explained that the film’s team is working to get the finances necessary to finish the work. However, because of this financial struggle, the cast and crew’s pay has been delayed, and it’s been that way since early in production.
Due to this, SAG-AFTRA placed a Do Not Work Order on the project; however, they were able to start back up, as Cranston’s statement also noted.
The actor then explained that the team behind the film is working to secure the money needed to see this project to completion. However, if that does not happen, both he and Gladstone will not promote or finish work on the movie, as he said:
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.
Considering Cranston’s filmography, which includes the award-winning and excellent drama Breaking Bad, as well as Gladstone’s status as a 2024 Oscar nominee and prestigious actor, they are the two most notable names attached to this movie. They are the stars, and this statement made it clear as to why they won’t finish or promote the film if everyone else isn't paid in full. This declaration could carry some weight in this situation.
It’s more than evident through this statement that Cranston wants to make sure his other co-stars and crew get fully compensated and finish the film. He made that evident again with the following remarks. Explaining that while he did get paid in full, he was “surprised” that the crew hadn’t, and this whole situation has left him “distressed,” as he stated:
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.
While it’s not unheard of for indie movies to face financial difficulties, Deadline noted that this kind of trouble is “more rare” for projects at the scale of Lone Wolf. It has a lot of good going for it, with Mark Pellington directing the thriller about a veteran (Gladstone) who gets recruited by a contractor (Cranston) for a mission to assassinate a major politician, and Cranston, Gladstone, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and more starring in it.
Hopefully, it can work through its financial troubles and pay everyone what they deserve. At the moment, it’s unclear how exactly that will happen. So it’s likely that Lone Wolf will not appear on the 2025 movie schedule. However, as we learn more about this situation and how the cast and crew are responding to it, we’ll keep you updated.
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