Their next project, Black Snake Moan, is being produced by Singleton.
Mark Litwak, attorney for director Craig Brewer, says that despite the movie’s meager box office earnings ($22 million), and a large amount taken by Paramount for the film’s purchase and marketing, Singleton still has a contractual obligation to share the profit with the creative team.ĭespite their current differences, Allain, Brewer, and Singleton continue to work together. I resent people making comments when everybody’s life has been changed from Hustle & Flow. He added, "I don’t like somebody saying I’m a shyster. The film is being directed by Andrew Francis, Ashleigh Ball, Brian Drummond, who wrote the screenplay for Hustle & Flow: Homecoming, are returning to write the script for this film. I always planned to pay everybody by the holidays." The cast and crew of Hustle & Flow have been announced. "I was making sure that no one would get paid until after all the bills would get paid. Hustle and Flow Cast & Crew Terrence Howard in Hustle and Flow, Terrence Howard Anthony Anderson in Hustle and Flow, Anthony Anderson Taryn Manning in Hustle. They’re dealing with me as an individual and not as a studio – I had to act like a studio." Singleton said he made plans to pay the Hustle and Flow staff soon.
Hustle and flow cast professional#
"We made a collective decision to do a professional mix for the film, and that cost was not covered by Paramount. "I took all the financial risk on the film," he told the LA Times. Singleton feels that he does not owe his colleagues because of the financial responsibility he took on with the project. Singleton is upset by the claims of his co-workers, insisting that he has continued to use his own money to pay for additional costs from the film. By the film’s July release, he had received 99% of his $9 million payout. Paramount reports that they began sending Singleton multi-million dollar checks last spring. Paramount came out the victor, purchasing the production rights from Singleton for $9 million. The film was a major hit at the January 2005 Sundance Film Festival, inciting a fierce bidding war for the film’s rights.
When the film’s script was turned down by every major company in Hollywood, Singleton put up $2 million of his own money to fund the project, nearly two thirds of the film’s budget. The film was created on a budget of $3.5 million, a small fraction of the cost of most major motion pictures that are made today. The film, a drama about the music career dreams of a small-time pimp in Memphis, Tennessee, was a near-independent venture, funded mainly by Singleton. The creative team says that they have yet to see their cut of a $9 million profit handed to Singleton by Paramount-MTV for the film’s distribution. Compensation was so low that Allain had to sell her home in order to afford living expenses during the film’s 22-day shoot in Memphis. The film’s co-producer, director, and three main stars claim Singleton still owes them money for the project.Īccording to the LA Times, co-producer Stephanie Allain, director Craig Brewer, and the film’s stars, Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, and DJ Qualls worked on Hustle and Flow for comparitively low pay with the promise of a portion of the film’s profits. Despite the surprise success of this summer’s sleeper hit film, "Hustle and Flow," producer John Singleton is currently in hot water with the film’s major staff and cast of characters.