How the promising partnership between 'The Departed' and 'It' producer Roy Lee and tobacco heir John Middleton imploded amid 'very public mudslinging.'
. Middleton alleges that Lee removed his credits on the film database for more than two dozen projects, including a pair of, in an act of retaliation at the end of their partnership. The suit, which claims fraud and breach of contract, seeks at least $7 million in damages plus restoration of the credits.
Middleton followed his father to the Haverford School, a local prep institute, then dropped out of both Duke and Penn before pursuing his Hollywood dream in his 20s, beginning with a series of internships at production companies, including those run by Nick Wechsler and Mark Cuban. His early advisers tellthat he was bright, eager, inquisitive and low-key. Lee ended up as Middleton's partner through a mutual connection, the late well-known talent manager J.C. Spink.at Warner Bros.
Middleton contends he spent $780,000 a year to rent a house on Malibu's Broad Beach from 2012 to 2016 and that Lee "demanded use of the home" under the threat of losing credits, including allowing Christian Bale to stay there during one Labor Day weekend and using it as a writers room for.
One of Middleton's key contentions against Lee is over the bungalow office suite they briefly shared on the Warners lot, first built for Frank Sinatra in 1963 and later used by Sidney Poitier, Barbra Streisand, Paul Newman and producer Joel Silver. The occupancy of the digs in April 2013 signaled they'd arrived. Middleton claims he spent $250,000 to complete the office renovations, including the installation of a $60,000 golf simulator purchased "to improve staff morale." .
A dealmaker who knows and likes both Middleton and Lee says: "There were a lot of perks that John brought to the table that presumably were not in the deal. Roy got used to making those perks part of how he did business. But also, come on, John benefited. It built him up as a figure in Hollywood. It's what he wanted."
Lee filed a cross-complaint against Middleton. His May 11 filing for breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation claims that prior to their partnership, the latter was "a complete unknown in Hollywood with no industry experience or connections, aside from scattered internships at various production companies." Lee's suit paints Middleton as a troubled, status-seeking wastrel.
At the end of 2013, Lee reluctantly, he says, agreed to a three-year extension of their partnership on the promise from both Middletons that the son would get his act together. The film producer says it never came to pass. In court records pertaining to a separate legal matter against a former therapist, Middleton volunteered he'd "achieved sobriety" on June 23, 2016.
On June 10, Middleton hit back at Lee in court, arguing to strike the "personal attacks" while at the same time stating that "hard-partying Lee indulges his penchant for drugs, prostitutes and pay-by-the-hour[karaoke hostesses], regularly taking the narcotic Ecstasy and sharing it with business associates while frequenting overseas brothels and private karaoke lounges in Koreatown as part of 'business meetings.
Multiple people close to Middleton attribute his idiosyncrasies — including his habit of buying designer clothing at volume so he doesn't need to re-wear items — to his OCD. Additionally, several high-level industry associates posit that the condition may have played a role in his chronic tardiness and many missed meetings, a complaint also voiced by Lee in his filing.
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