Empire’s star Terrence Howard has filed a lawsuit against his former employer, 20th
Century Fox, claiming they used his likeness from his 2005 film Hustle and Flow for the
Empire logo. The lawsuit alleges that Howard asked the studio how they came up with the
logo using his likeness, since he never sat down for a photo shoot, and was given the
‘runaround.’
The lawsuit alleges that ‘the still frame was selected, reversed (face looking left, not right),
and subjected to CGI that simply distilled the cinematographer’s skilled capture of the
head with vibrant light and shadow’.
Howard alleges that if Fox had gotten a proper license for the image from Paramount, that
he would have been paid.
The actor is suing for unspecified damages and he also wants a full accounting of Empire
merchandise that was sold with that logo on it.