Robbie Williams tried to shut down London’s Regent Street to film a musical number, but was stopped by the passing of the Queen and lost his insurance (Image: (Image: GETTY))
forthcoming biopic, hitting cinemas on December 26, suffered a heavy financial blow following the death of
According to Director Michael Gracey, an essential Regent Street shoot for the movie ‘Better Man’, which portrays Robbie as an animated simian at age 50, was abruptly cancelled during the nationwide grief period post the monarch’s September 2023 death.
Speaking with HELLO! magazine, Michael explained the sudden turn of events: “On the Friday we were feeling very buoyant, because the first night of filming was Sunday night, and we got a call from the Crown Estate to tell us that the queen had just died and we wouldn’t be shooting because there’s 10 days of mourning.”
He continued by revealing the frustrating aftermath, stating, “So we lost all of the money. There’s no insurance for the death of the queen. People will say to you: No, there is, because it’s force majeure, and you say; No, it’s not. It’s civil authority that shuts you down with the death of the queen, and after , civil authority was capped at 250 grand payouts.”
In a candid admission, he recounted the films resilience in surmounting the financial hurdle: “So we lost millions of dollars, and it took another five months to get back on that street, and we had to raise the money again. And every time I watch it, I think people have no idea how close we came to that not being in the film”, reports .
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The 10 days of mourning after the death of Queen Elizabeth II threw a spanner in the works for Robbie Williams (Image: Getty)
Despite the difficulties, Gracey, known for his work on ‘The Greatest Showman’, acknowledged the clout associated with Robbie Williams was instrumental in acquiring the permits initially necessary for filming.
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He revealed: “I always used to walk down Regent Street and think, this is such a great street to do a dance number on, like, Why has no one done it? And then it became very clear why no one’s done it. Because shutting down that street for four nights – complete lock off – when it’s a bus route as well, so you need to redirect the busses, which apparently in London, is just a no go.”
“So we got told no so many times, but fortunately, the land is Crown Estate, and the royals like Robbie and so between Westminster Council and the Crown Estate and the most incredible amount of paperwork, we got to shut it down for four nights.”