Canadian Studio Bron Plans Restructure After Filing for Bankruptcy

Canadian production and financing company Bron Studios announced it has filed for cross-border bankruptcy, and CEO and co-founder Aaron L. Gilbert says a restructure is in the works

Bron Studios, whose chief executive is London native Aaron L. Gilbert, has announced it has filed for bankruptcy protection. Based in British Columbia, the studio was the force behind critical successes such as Joker and Licorice Pizza, as well as less well-received commercial projects like the Adam Driver dinosaur film 65 and The Idol starring Canadian musician The Weeknd.

Gilbert wrote that Bron will be working with its creditors and stakeholders alongside court-appointed monitor Grant Thornton Limited and that proceedings “are expected to be completed by late fall.”

In 2018, Bron opened a London office for its animation division. Movies associated with Bron have won six Academy Awards.

Bron was launched in 2010 by Gilbert and his wife, Brenda. The name Bron is a mashup of their first names.

The Canadian financing and production company has announced that “the Bron group of companies obtained protection from their creditors in Canada pursuant to an initial order of the Supreme Court of British Columbia under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act.”

Last year, Bron Digital teamed with Florida-based entertainment development company Falcon’s Beyond to co-develop animated TV series, feature films, video games, location-based entertainment, and consumer products.

In a statement released by the company, Gilbert said:

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…

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. 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.