The Producer Who “Rescued” ‘Obsession’ Is Now Suing over the Profits She Says She Was Denied
Horror’s biggest breakout success story of the year has always had an underdog narrative built into its DNA, a scrappy, ultra-low-budget film that clawed its way to hundreds of millions at the box office against every expectation. But behind that feel-good story, a legal battle has now emerged over exactly who deserves credit, and payment, for making that success possible.
That battle centers on the film’s post-production journey, a period when ‘Obsession’ nearly derailed entirely before finding its footing again. According to a new lawsuit, one producer’s intervention during that critical stretch may have saved the film from failure, and she says she’s since been cut out of the rewards that followed.
Producer Leonora Ann Darby has filed a lawsuit accusing fellow producers James Harris and Mark Lane of cutting her out of profits from ‘Obsession’ despite her role in rescuing the film’s edit. The breach of contract complaint, filed August 28 in Los Angeles Superior Court, describes what Darby’s attorney called “a seven-year pattern of unequal treatment and broken compensation promises” from the two Tea Shop Productions co-founders.
According to the complaint, Darby stepped in when director Curry Barker’s original edit of the film had been taken away and handed to a different editor, an arrangement the lawsuit says was actively hurting the movie. Darby says she pushed to have the cut restored to Barker, which happened, and also called for reshoots to address the film’s remaining issues, which also went forward.
Her intervention reportedly helped secure a $16.2 million sale to Focus Features at the Toronto Film Festival, setting up the film’s eventual theatrical run. Despite being formally credited as an executive producer, the lawsuit argues Darby actually functioned as a lead producer under Tea Shop’s internal structure, a distinction she says entitled her to net profit participation once the film became a hit.
Darby’s attorney, Thomas K. Richards of Singh, Singh and Trauben, addressed the filing in a statement, saying, “Ms. Darby has brought serious and substantial claims, supported by a detailed factual record. She is confident in her case and intends to pursue it fully.”
The lawsuit alleges Harris and Lane had promised Darby one-third, or 33.3%, of net profits on projects she lead-produced, along with direct participation in collection account management agreements. Once ‘Obsession’ crossed roughly $510 million worldwide on a reported budget under $800,000, the complaint claims she was denied that promised share.
Darby’s complaint reportedly frames this as part of a broader pattern dating back to when she joined Tea Shop Productions in 2019, describing promises of equal treatment across compensation, company direction, and access to business opportunities that were allegedly never fully honored over the years that followed.
Focus Features, which distributed ‘Obsession’ theatrically in May, and executive producer Jason Blum are not named as defendants in the suit. Representatives for Tea Shop Productions have not yet publicly responded to the allegations.
With ‘Obsession’ standing as one of the most profitable horror films in recent memory relative to its budget, this lawsuit adds a contentious legal chapter to what had otherwise been an unambiguous industry success story.
If Leonora Darby really helped save Obsession, does she deserve a share of its profits?
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