The rap legend and entertainment powerhouse 50 Cent is taking his public threats to court, filing a $5 million suit in Los Angeles against the makers of an upcoming horror movie, Skill House. He claims they stole his name, image, and voice and, most importantly, didn't pay him.
The lawsuit names producer Ryan Kavanaugh and Skill House Movie LLC. According to court papers, they were marketing the film as a "50 Cent Movie," even labeling him in promotional materials as a star and producer without a signed agreement. There was no contract in place, 50 claims, and he never authorized using his likeness or voice in any form.
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Allegedly, the whole scam fell apart when 50 Cent discovered that despite appearing in promotion materials and even going so far as to have worked on the film, he wouldn't get a dime. He says he never would've come on board if he didn't have creative control and, thanks to an official deal, ownership of the same. In the lawsuit, his lawyers were blunt: "These individuals have no signed agreement with Jackson, yet they continue to exploit the name and image of Michael Jackson."
For weeks, heading into the filing, 50 Cent has been calling out Kavanaugh online, talking trash about all of it, the film and the man, and dredging up claims of Kavanaugh's roller-coaster past, which includes past legal and financial setbacks and even apparently a DUI. Suffice it to say that 50 doesn't hide opinions in drafts.
The whole thing sounds like a horror story in its own right, but it is not the one Kavanaugh had in mind when he "founded" Skill House. It's another sign that, in Hollywood, it's not all about who you see on screen. Behind the scenes, contracts, credit , and cold hard cash determine the game. And if you're planning to employ a name as big as 50 Cent's, you'd better be prepared to append it with lots of signatures and dollar signs.
As for what that means for Skill House, The future's unclear; the future of the film, which is released by MGM on Nov. 9, maybe on shaky ground thanks to a lawsuit seeking $5 million in damages unless Kavanaugh and co. can figure out how to make friendly.
What is the moral of the story? Test a man who built an empire off hustle, muscle, and a merciless sense of business. When 50 Cent says he's going after the money he's owed, you'd best believe it.
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