Kingdom Come backers scramble for cash

The Kingdom Come movie project has been given another temporary reprieve – a move to liquidate the production company has been put off until the end of May.

Creditors have accepted promises of another $100,000 payment and an indication that fundraising in the United States might come up with another $4 million from Christian supporters of the biblical movie project the company plans to make in New Zealand.

Lawyer Stephen Brown, representing a group of creditors, told the High Court at Wellington yesterday that the South Vineyard production company was insolvent and owed $4.5m.

Creditors did not want to put the company into liquidation, provided their interests were met, he said.

An earlier move to liquidate South Vineyard was delayed in December, when creditors were paid $100,000.

He asked for a further delay as the company's directors and backers, who had sunk $39m into the project, had promised another $100,000 to the creditors and to try to raise another US$3m (NZ$4m) to save the project.

This would repay all debts in New Zealand, maintain the movie sets created in Wellington and the Waitaki district in Otago, and enable a new management structure to be brought in to finish and release the movie.

Associate Judge David Gendall agreed to a final adjournment of liquidation proceedings till May 31 to provide time for a rescue package.

Kingdom Come director and producer Dean Wright said in December that the film would be made and that people were working behind the scenes "around the world" to raise more capital.

- © Fairfax NZ News