Marvin Gaye’s Son Claims Empire Was His Idea
After successfully suing Robin Thicke and Pharrell over “Blurred Lines,” one member of the Gaye family is apparently getting ready to file another lawsuit in a different entertainment area. TMZ reports that Marvin Gaye III is planning on suing the creators of the FOX show Empire, claiming that he pitched a similar idea a few years ago.
Gaye says that he registered a treatment for a show called Diamonds & Ballads with the Writers Guild Of America back in 2010. Allegedly, the show was described as a “music based ‘black’ and ‘hip’ version of Dynasty … with a little Sopranos.” Lee Daniels, co-creator of Empire, used those same two comparisons back when he was talking about the show last year. Gaye claims that he shopped his idea to TV executives in 2010, and that some associates of Lee Daniels’ received an email containing the pitch.
One of Gaye’s lawyers told TMZ: “We understand that three things can’t be hidden for long: the Sun, the Moon and the Truth!”