Remember in April when we were buzzing about 50 Cent, aka Curtis Jackson, starring in a new horror flick called Skillhouse? Well, things have now become seriously messy and complicated. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Jackson has filed a lawsuit against Ryan Kavanaugh‘s streaming platform, GenTV, to block the film’s release.
In a lawsuit filed in California federal court this past Thursday, Jackson accuses Kavanaugh and GenTV of shady dealings. According to the legal documents, Jackson claims they failed to pay him as agreed and illegally exploited his name and likeness, which were heavily used to promote horror movies. Jackson’s legal team is throwing the book at them. They are alleging trademark infringement, false advertising, and unfair competition and is seeking at least $5 million in damages. Ouch.
Ryan Kavanaugh was once a major behind-the-scenes player in Hollywood, financing many big movies like The Social Network, Step Brothers, and Mamma Mia! through his company Relativity Media. However, Relativity went belly-up back in 2015. Kavanaugh has reportedly also had his fair share of legal battles, including settled disputes with Sony Music and Timbaland. His business model now seems to revolve around leveraging influencers’ massive social media followings to sell content directly.
Now, let’s get back to Skillhouse. According to the lawsuit, Jackson entered into negotiations with Kavanaugh way back in 2022 to not only star in but also produce the movie. Skillhouse follows ten social media influencers forced to compete in a series of do-or-die challenges for their online audience. A tentative deal was reportedly reached between Jackson and Kavanaugh, but here’s the kicker – neither side ever actually signed the final agreement.
Despite the lack of a signed contract, Jackson and his son even filmed scenes intended to be used once a final agreement was in place. The lawsuit states that Jackson’s “trust was misplaced.” However, Jackson is listed as the star and producer of the Film.
Jackson alleges that he was made the central figure in all promotional efforts for Skillhouse. To make matters even worse, a nine-minute clip of Skillhouse is playing on GenTV, and it prominently labels the title as a “50 Cent movie,” with Jackson featured in a starring role. This blatant use of his name and likeness without a finalized deal is at the heart of Jackson’s legal battle.
According to THR, the lawsuit also takes serious issue with the movie being used as a key promotional tool for GenTV itself. Jackson argues that GenTV directly competes with his streaming channel, “50 Cent Action.”
Jackson’s lawyer, Jonathan Loeb, writes that Kavanaugh and GenTV “plan not only to steal Jackson’s reputation and goodwill amongst his millions of fans to boost their film, but also to use that film to compete with Jackson’s other business ventures unfairly. Obviously, Jackson never would have agreed to allow his intellectual property to be used in such a manner.” You can see his point.
It’s worth noting that Jackson, through his G-Unit Film and Television banner, has been steadily building an impressive production resume in Hollywood. The Courtney Kemp-created series “Power,” which he executive produced, was a massive hit for Starz after its debut in 2014, running for six successful seasons and spawning multiple popular spinoffs. His other series for Starz, “BMF” (Black Mafia Family), has also wrapped its third season, further solidifying his presence as a serious player in the television production world.
Meanwhile, GenTV has ambitious plans to release five to ten films annually, each headlined by top social media influencers. Their distribution strategy is also somewhat unconventional. They aim to release these films as short-form episodic content on social media platforms and traditional feature-length versions available in theaters.
It looks like Skillhouse was intended to be their big launch into this unique distribution model, but with this lawsuit hanging over their heads, their plans might be in serious jeopardy. It’s a developing story, and it’ll be interesting to see how this legal battle plays out and what it means for the future of the film and GenTV’s ambitious influencer-driven film strategy.
