Bron Studios, the Canadian production company and financier behind Irish drama series Kin, has filed for bankruptcy, plunging the future of the RTÉ crime drama into doubt following the release of its second season earlier this year.
Established major international studio Bron has been involved in the financing and production of several awards season favourites such as Joker, Licorice Pizza, and Judas and the Black Messiah, as well as commercial blockbusters such as The Mule, 65, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
The news was disclosed in a statement by Bron Studios CEO and co-founder Aaron L. Gilbert who issued a letter addressed to “friends, partners, team members and backers”.
“Having explored many options for many months, BRON had no choice but to take this step in light of its financial circumstances. The last few years have been incredibly difficult for BRON, and things have only gotten more complicated over these past months,” Gilbert said in the letter, where he outlined the struggles of the company over the past few years.
The Bron studios CEO cited both the COVID pandemic and the dual union strikes as insurmountable factors for the company. The company will not be doing press.
Bron has filed for creditor protection with the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Canada and Chapter 15 in the United States (the Chapter 15 filing is for cases across more than one country).
As of recently, Bron’s co-financing deals with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros. have expired.
“Thank you to our many friends who have been there to support us. Thank you to the BRON team and to our incredible creative, production, and business partners. Thank you to the many production financing partners and our corporate backers for support these many years. Thank you to our various representatives and the many service providers for all the support and patience through a very tough few years at BRON,” Gilbert’s statement concludes. “Your continued support and patience will remain critical during this restructuring process and we will continue to keep you informed as we move through this process.”
While the future of KIN is currently unclear, season three was reportedly filmed last summer back to back with the recently aired season two, and a fourth season had been previously greenlit.
