The full trailer for Paramount’s upcoming Middle Men has just hit the web and, in honor of the release, the studio held a special reception last night by the rooftop pool at the London West Hollywood Hotel.
Cast and crew in attendance included producers Christopher Mallick, William Sherak, Jason Shuman, Saliza Somani, Michael and Andy Weiss, director George Gallo and stars Gabriel Macht and Giovanni Ribisi, all anxious to premiere the new trailer for the first time anywhere.
Set in 1995, Middle Men tells the based-on-reality story of Jack Harris (Luke Wilson), a family man who teams up with Wayne Beering (Giovanni Ribisi) and Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht) in finding a way to distribute pornography over the then-unknown internet. Finding that success comes with a lot more than he bargained for in the form of starlets, conmen, Russian mobsters, federal agents and international terrorists.
Described by Sherak last night as a cross between Blow and Boogie Nights, Middle Men is largely inspired by events in the life of producer Christopher Mallick, who joked poolside that tape recorders would have to be off if he was going to tell any of his stories. Shortly after the trailer screened, though, Mallick laughed about one specific scene.
“That really happened,” said the producer, pointing out a scene where the characters realize that a two million dollar check was just stuffed in a drawer under a candy bar.
Middle Men was purchased by Paramount last year after a successful premiere at Cannes and is now scheduled for a wide release on August 6th.
