{"id":618837,"date":"2026-06-03T12:02:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/618837\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T12:02:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:02:17","slug":"inside-the-climb-the-cara-delevingne-film-that-collapsed-owing-crew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/618837\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside ‘The Climb,’ The Cara Delevingne Film That Collapsed Owing Crew"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tLike the tip of a spear thrusting from the London skyline, The Shard has become an appealing landmark for filmmakers over the years. Jon Watts staged the climactic scenes of Spider-Man: Far from Home around the skyscraper. Christopher McQuarrie filled the screen with shots of The Shard for Mission: Impossible \u2013 Fallout. And the tower was poised to become the centerpiece of The Climb<\/a>, a British indie film that cast Cara Delevingne<\/a> as a fearless eco-protester who scales Western Europe\u2019s tallest building.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Climb\u2019s producers spent around three days shooting sweeping aerial shots of London, but the vertigo-inducing footage only served as a metaphor for the free-fall the film experienced within weeks of pre-production. The Climb ultimately collapsed, owing furious crew and suppliers more than \u00a3300,000 ($400,000) in unpaid wages and invoices. The demise is hardly a unique story in the indie film universe \u2014 high-profile British productions like Simon Pegg\u2019s Angels in the Asylum<\/a> have gone down amid similar rancour \u2014 but this has not dimmed the sense of injustice felt by those who lost money.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are duelling accounts about what went wrong with The Climb\u2019s funding and the ill-fated decision to press ahead with pre-production. Crew members believe that blame should be shared equally between producers and financiers, with some describing it as a cautionary tale. Ultimately, The Climb may be down, but it\u2019s not out. Sources said director Hayley Easton Street (Something in the Water) is hopeful that a U.S. producer can help the film overcome the unfortunate tangle that left people out of pocket.<\/p>\n

\n\tProtest Passion Project<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Climb was first unveiled by Beta Cinema at the European Film Market in February 2022<\/a>, with Delevingne (Carnival Row) attached as a daredevil climber who protests against oil drilling in the Arctic by ascending The Shard. The film is inspired by the true story of six female Greenpeace<\/a> activists who scaled the building in 2013. Easton Street, an experienced VFX art director with credits including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, wrote the script and was on board to direct (she declined to comment for this piece). There was significant interest, with Beta pre-selling into multiple European markets. Delevingne was a particular draw, while other cast included Hannah John-Kamen and Hero Fiennes Tiffin.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t Greenpeace protester scales The Shard in 2013 (credit: Greenpeace)<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen The Climb was introduced at EFM, it was teased that the movie would be filmed using \u201cvirtual production\u201d technology, which essentially involves shooting live-action scenes against an LED screen featuring digital visuals. The hope was to create a cinematic experience on a modest budget, but some accuse those involved in delivering the technology of taking a central role in The Climb\u2019s ropes unravelling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDimension Studio<\/a>, a UK-based virtual production company run by Steve Jelley and his then business partner Steve Griffith, signed up to provide The Climb with its facilities. Jelley and Griffith also had an agreement with producer Eclipse Films to fund the \u00a315M feature through their other venture, Singularity Entertainment. The Steves were based in a Great Portland Street office shared with VFX giant DNEG<\/a>, where they eventually welcomed Sigmund Film, the special purpose vehicle company through which The Climb would be produced.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou walked into those offices, and you were struck by all these images of James Bond and massive action movies. You immediately think: I feel safe,\u201d said a crew member who worked on The Climb.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tSigmund Film was founded in September 2024 and prep work on The Climb started swiftly. Two years on from originally signing, Delevingne\u2019s schedule no longer worked, meaning The Climb turned to another lead: Ivanna Sakhno<\/a>, star of Ahsoka and M3GAN 2.0. Set designers were hired and dispatched to Rome to recce Dimension\u2019s LED facilities at Cinecitt\u00e0 Studios, where a 25-metre-wide screen hugs a giant revolving stage. Around the same time, The Aerial Film Company and The Helicopter Girls were scrambled into the skies of London to capture shots of the city and The Shard. Securing such permissions is not straightforward, and the footage would serve as the backdrop to the scenes filmed in the virtual production studio. Designers even created a fake London news network for the film.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe Shard in 2020 (credit: Getty)<\/p>\n

\n\tThe flurry of activity all pointed to a project that was firmly in motion, but things ground to a halt in a matter of weeks. The Climb\u2019s financing never materialized, prep was ceased, and by January 2025, the whole venture collapsed when rights to the film lapsed. Almost as soon as The Climb had begun its ascent to the screen, it had come crashing down. The chain of events that led to this moment is contested, with those involved denying culpability.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tConflicting Accounts Of Collapse<\/p>\n

\n\tIn written responses to Deadline questions, Singularity and Dimension boss Steve Jelley said Eclipse Films never satisfied its \u201cconditions precedent,\u201d a set of tasks a producer must complete before financing is released, including signing off a budget and cast. Jelley added that Singularity and Dimension were not consulted on the decision to begin prep and \u201chad no idea\u201d the production was spending money it did not have, despite crew members being housed at its offices. \u201cSingularity and Dimension acted in good faith and provided to Eclipse everything that they were entitled to,\u201d Jelley added.<\/p>\n

\n\tEclipse managing director Andrew Berg said Singularity committed to \u201cfully fund\u201d the film and signed a \u201cdeal term sheet,\u201d according to an email he sent crew members who lost money in December 2024. \u201cIt has been incredibly drawn out and ridiculous,\u201d he wrote of his dealings with Singularity\/Dimension. In the same email, Berg added that Singularity was involved in \u201cevery step\u201d of getting production underway, including setting up Sigmund Film and its bank account. In short, his position is that fulfilling the \u201cconditions precedent\u201d was a collective effort and Singularity was along for the ride.<\/p>\n

\n\tDeadline has seen evidence that Singularity helped Eclipse secure a loan for pre-production. Singularity was also involved in communication about budget, not least because Dimension planned to supply the virtual production tech, which, along with VFX, was due to cost more than \u00a36M, per a draft spending plan seen by Deadline.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tA 2024 still from Dimension\u2019s virtual production facility at Cinecitt\u00e0 Studios (credit: Dimension\/YouTube)<\/p>\n

\n\tCrew members point the finger of blame at both financier and producer. \u201cThere was never the slightest doubt [Singularity\/Dimension] knew what was going on all the time,\u201d said one freelancer. Another creative added: \u201cEclipse Films started us up, almost on a whim, on the promise of the money, just hoping that it would all come through \u2026 They decided to risk it all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tEclipse had the rights to The Climb for six years and initially planned to shoot in early 2023, but by January 2025, the film reverted to director Easton Street. Efforts were made to extend, but trust had broken down because debts to crew and suppliers had not been settled, and financing was not guaranteed. Easton Street was also said to be working for months without pay. In March 2025, Singularity made an offer to pay The Climb\u2019s team 30% of what was owed, with the remainder being transferred on the first day of principal photography \u2014 but only if Easton Street handed over rights to the film. This offer was rejected by those owed money, some of whom believed Easton Street was being held to ransom.<\/p>\n

\n\tSigmund Film was liquidated last summer, owing \u00a3340,019 to crew and suppliers, including \u00a361,000 to The Aerial Film Company, which captured dramatic shots of The Shard. Individual freelancers were owed tens of thousands of pounds at what was a perilous moment for the independent film sector. One person left out of pocket summed up the mood like this: \u201cPlay your film financing games by all means, but don\u2019t hire crew if you haven\u2019t got the money \u2014 that\u2019s really nasty, and you should be exposed. It\u2019s what makes this industry so volatile.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBeta Cinema was another of the losers. The sales house sunk money and resources into packaging, marketing, and pre-selling the feature. Pre-sales did not close, meaning buyers have not lost cash, but a source said Beta was disappointed that it was unable to deliver a finished film for partners. Beta declined to comment.<\/p>\n

\n\tSympathy For Suppliers<\/p>\n

\n\tIn his December 2024 email, Berg, the producer for Eclipse Films, said he was \u201cincredibly sorry\u201d for how the project unfolded. Eclipse also lost money, with the insolvency report showing that the company was owed nearly \u00a380,000. Berg, whose previous credits include 2017 Imelda Staunton pic Finding Your Feet, declined to comment.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn response to Deadline questions, Singularity\u2019s Jelley said: \u201cDimension and Singularity have sympathy, especially for the individual crew members, and all the suppliers that have lost money. When the situation came to light, all parties tried to help address the issues, even if they were not of our making. The producer is responsible for paying the crew.\u201d Jelley added that lessons had been learned from The Climb. Dimension now only takes on prep work under agreed contract terms, while Singularity required producers to \u201cprovide transparency\u201d on financial commitments before discussions take place about funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Luke<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tLuke Newton and Lucy Hale will star in \u2018White Mars<\/a>\u2018<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDavid Urbanke\/Claire Leahy<\/p>\n

\n\tSingularity has another known project: White Mars, a sci-fi feature film starring Bridgerton\u2019s Luke Newton and Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars), which has also made use of Dimension\u2019s virtual production tech. The film is in post-production and is expected to reach the screen, but it\u2019s not been without difficulty. \u201cThat was also a very complicated movie,\u201d said a source familiar with the process. \u201cThe [Dimension] technology is so advanced that it\u2019s not like making a traditional film, and there was a lot of suck it and see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEaston Street retains the rights to The Climb and has been developing the project in America, with tentative conversations being held with potential backers at the Cannes Film Festival. The Climb may have taken a plunge, but there is hope yet that it can rise from the ashes, even if those who lost money are unlikely to ever be repaid.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIf you would like to get in contact with the author of this story, please email jkanter@deadline.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Like the tip of a spear thrusting from the London skyline, The Shard has become an appealing landmark…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":618838,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[123507,6491,210300,210301,96,210302,210303,56,54,55,210304],"class_list":["post-618837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-cara-delevingne","tag-celebrities","tag-dimension-studio","tag-dneg","tag-entertainment","tag-ivanna-sakhno","tag-the-climb","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-white-mars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}