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50 Cent Sues to Shut Down Skill House Release Over Name Misuse: 'I Never Signed Off'

Originally posted on Music Times | By Rovelyn Barba | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 8:13 AM ET

Rapper and entrepreneur Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the upcoming release of the horror film Skill House, claiming the producers used his name, likeness, and trademarks without a finalized agreement or payment.

As per AllHipHop, Jackson, along with his company, NYC Vibe, filed suit in April against producer Ryan Kavanaugh, Skill House Movie LLC, and GenTV LLC. On Monday, he followed up by asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction to stop the film's scheduled release on July 11.

"In or about 2022, Ryan Kavanaugh, the entity Skill House Movie LLC and I entered into discussions about me potentially acting in and producing the Skill House film," Jackson said in a sworn statement.

"We began to negotiate a term sheet which, once finalized and signed by myself, G-Unit, and Skill House Movie, would serve as a placeholder pending a comprehensive agreement. The term sheet was never finalized, and neither I nor G-Unit signed the term sheet...Skill House Movie did not sign the term sheet either."

Despite the absence of a binding contract, Jackson and his minor son, Sire, participated in filming scenes for the project.

He said he did so based on "good-faith promises" from Kavanaugh and his team and expected a formal agreement to follow.

That agreement, Jackson alleges, never materialized. Now, he claims the producers are using his name and image to market the film and GenTV streaming platform without his permission.

"Although [Kavanaugh] claims that I am a producer of the Skill House film, I was never given creative control over or input into the film," Jackson said. "Moreover...neither I nor my son have been paid for our participation in the film."

Jackson's legal team accuses the defendants of trademark infringement, false advertising, unfair competition, and violating his right of publicity.

The lawsuit asserts that continued use of his identity could cause lasting harm that "money alone can't fix."

A hearing on the injunction request is scheduled for July 3 in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Skill House is described as a horror film that critiques influencer culture.

Kavanaugh, known for producing titles such as 300 and Immortals, has not publicly commented on the lawsuit.

Jackson has a history of aggressively defending his intellectual property and image.

He previously filed a $5 million lawsuit in April over the same dispute and has publicly voiced concerns about the film's release.

This article first appeared on Music Times and was syndicated with permission.

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