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Empire

Source: Fox / Getty

It seems like our weeks aren’t complete without a lawsuit involving FOX Tv’s hit show, Empire. This one is half a billion dollars. That’s not a typo:

Reports TMZ:

Imagine “Empire” with Shaft in the lead role … that was the vision one guy had, but it never got made … and now he believes the creators of the show owe him $500 million for stealing his idea.

A guy named Jon Astor-White is suing EPs Danny Strong and Lee Daniels — as well as Imagine Entertainment and 21st Century Fox — claiming he shopped around a show called “King Solomon” back in 2007 … which bears a lot of similarities to “Empire.”

Astor-White claims his show would have starred Richard Roundtree (Shaft said no thanks) and was about a record executive and his family and their battle over control of the company.

Astor-White said he faxed the treatment around, and included a proposed cast list which was aspirational, to say the least. In addition to Roundtree, Astor-White wanted Diahann Carroll, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, John Goodman, George Hamilton and Angie Dickinson.

Astor-White describes his show as “the style and elegance of ‘Dynasty’ meets ‘The Sopranos’ with a sprinkling of ‘The Godfather.’” That’s a similar comparison Marvin Gaye III made in his claim.

The show has also been sued by a guy with Jackson family connections and by a woman who claims she is the real Cookie.

Astor-White is seeking the half a billion dollars … plus additional damages.

Is this the fruits of success?We’ll be following this case and as developments are made, you’ll be the first to know!  Empire returns Sept.23!

@LordBrianJames