Justin Timberlake could be in trouble as the director he hired to create his since-canceled documentary is now suing him.
In 2012, the 41-year-old singer recruited director John Urbano to create a behind-the-scenes documentary called The Making of The 20/20 Experience, which was supposed to tell the story of Timberlake’s comeback third studio album.
Director claims Justin Timberlake ended documentary without proper payment
Unfortunately, Timberlake pulled the plug on the documentary, so it was never finished. But director Urbano had already put a lot of work into the project, and it appears that an unusual contract meant he ended up with an inadequate salary, at least, in his view anyway.
According to TMZ, Urbano has filed a lawsuit stating Timberlake had agreed to pay his director a share of the profits from the documentary rather than giving him a standard fee or salary.
The problem is, Urbano claims he spent 60 days filming Timberlake at various locations across the globe, and he says he spent 2,500 hours editing the footage. Now, he wants to get paid.
Urbano has admitted that he received an upfront payment of $20,000 and a reimbursement for his expenses incurred while filming. He says this all works out at about $7 an hour.
Needless to say, Urbano is seriously unimpressed with this figure, believing that had been paid his standard fee he would have received nearly $2.5 million for his work.
The director stated that following the dramatic success of The 20/20 Experience album, Timberlake simply lost interest in the documentary and shelved the idea.
Urbano also accuses Timberlake of using his agents and handlers to prevent the director from getting his proper payment. So far, neither Timberlake nor his people have commented on the lawsuit.
Justin Timberlake has sold entire music catalog
It looks like money certainly isn’t an issue for the former NSYNC star, as he recently sold his entire music back catalog. He cashed in over 20 years’ worth of music for a deal believed to be worth up to $100 million.
It’s currently unclear if Timberlake will be moving onto different projects. Perhaps he’s hoping to spend more time with his family. On Father’s Day last month, the singer gave fans a rare glimpse of his two sons, Silas and Phineas, with a photograph of the pair posted on Instagram.
The two boys look like they may be a chip off the old block as they are sitting in front of a piano.