Few films in recent memory have pulled off a Cinderella story quite like Obsession. Made on a shoestring budget reported between $750,000 and $1 million, the horror film written, directed, and edited by 26-year-old Curry Barker, a filmmaker who built his name on YouTube before ever stepping onto a studio set – sold to Focus Features out of the Toronto International Film Festival for $16.2 million and went on to gross well over $500 million worldwide, a staggering return that turned Barker into one of the industry’s most sought-after young voices practically overnight.
He’s since been tapped to write and direct A24’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot, along with an original project for Universal and Blumhouse’s Atomic Monster banner. But as Obsession‘s success story has grown, so has a very different narrative behind the scenes – one that’s now playing out in a California courtroom.
The Obsession Lawsuit: What’s Being Alleged
On August 31, 2026 Leonora Ann Darby – credited as an executive producer on Obsession filed a 135-page lawsuit in California state court against Tea Shop Productions and the company’s co-founders, James Harris and Mark Lane. The suit accuses Harris and Lane of reneging on promises to treat Darby as an equal producer within their company and of cutting her out of profits she claims she was owed for her work on the film.
Who’s Involved
Harris and Lane co-founded Tea Shop Productions in 2010 after meeting as roommates at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design. Darby joined the company in 2019 as a development and production executive and, according to the suit, rose over the following years to become one of the company’s three producers, working on projects including A Banquet (2021), The Surfer (2024), Tornado (2025), and ultimately Obsession.
The Core Claims
At the center of the lawsuit is Darby’s allegation that Harris and Lane brought her on with the promise of being an “equal producer” in compensation, company direction, project decisions, financial transparency, and access to business opportunities. The suit further alleges that in 2024, the two men promised Darby would receive one-third of the net profits due to Tea Shop Productions on any film she “lead-produced,” along with direct participation in the collection-account management agreements that track a film’s earnings – an agreement the filing claims was later broken.
The suit characterizes the dispute broadly as “a seven-year pattern of unequal treatment and broken compensation promises by two older male film producers to a younger female producer,” and notably suggests an added layer of irony: that Obsession‘s own on-screen themes of misogyny and manipulation echoed through the very production it depicts.
Darby’s Alleged Role in Saving the Film
A significant portion of the complaint focuses on Darby’s account of what happened during Obsession‘s post-production. According to the filing, editing control had at one point been taken away from director Barker, leaving the film in a cut Darby’s suit describes as “not working.” Darby alleges she intervened, advocating for editing duties to be restored to Barker, providing what the suit calls “fundamental and critical creative and structural notes” that reshaped the film, and pushing for the reshoots that ultimately strengthened it. She also claims she was instrumental in getting the film finished in time for its Toronto premiere, where it landed its sale to Focus Features.
Timeline of the Breakdown
Per the lawsuit, tensions came to a head this past spring, when Darby raised concerns directly with Harris about Obsession‘s earnings after reviewing details in the film’s collection-account management agreement. The suit alleges Harris responded by offering her an initial payment of $300,000, with an understanding that she would continue to receive a share of the film’s net profits going forward. Shortly after Darby raised those concerns, the complaint alleges, her access to the collection-account information was revoked. Darby’s suit also claims she was deliberately excluded from Obsession‘s Los Angeles premiere and denied public recognition for her contributions to the film’s success.
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Where Things Stand Now
As of this writing, representatives for Tea Shop Productions, Harris, Lane, and Barker have not publicly responded to the allegations. The case remains in its early stages in California state court, with Darby, according to reporting on the filing, expressing confidence in her position. Given Obsession‘s outsized commercial success and the very public nature of Barker’s rapid ascent, the case is likely to draw continued industry attention as it proceeds a reminder that behind even the most feel-good Hollywood breakout stories, the business side of filmmaking can carry its own far messier plot.
