The Rock and Mark Wahlberg are being sued for $200 million for allegedly stealing their show idea
The LA Times reports that a lawsuit seeks $200 million in damages. Screenwriters Everette Silas and Sherri Littleton allege that the HBO football drama/comedy "borrows heavily" from their own 2007 show "Off Season." In fact, they pitched that idea to Johnson and Wahlberhg, they say.
"The stories, character traits, scenes, and incidents portrayed in the two works, 'Ballers' and 'Off Season,' are, in many respects, virtually identical and strikingly similar. These substantially similar elements, coupled with the Defendants' direct access to the Materials, leaves little doubt that numerous elements of 'Ballers' were copied from 'Off Season,'" a complaint filed in court says, according to the LA Times.
The suit also names HBO, "Ballers" creator Stephen Levinson, and the show's production companies.
While "Off Season" never came to fruition, the suit lists a number of alleged similiarities between it and "Ballers."
An HBO spokesperson previously told Deadline the suit "has no merit."
"Ballers" comes back to the air for a second season this summer.