Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Mark Wahlberg have been sued for allegedly stealing the idea for the series Ballers of HBO.
Two writers, Everette Silas and Sherri Littleton , say the plot of the series is too similar to a project that they wrote called "Off Season".
HBO and executive producer Stephen Levinson are named in the lawsuit, which was filed on December 17 in the US District Court in United States in Los Angeles . In the lawsuit, Silas and Littleton say talked with producers Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray on the project in 2009.
Ciardi and Gray claim in its application that given a copy of a trailer, treatment and script Johnson and Wahlberg saw to play the lead roles, but the deal fell apart because they were denied credit that they were the creators.
Noting the similarities Silas and Littleton argue that both shows take place in Miami, they revolve around the lives of football players on and off the field, and have main characters who are African American. They further allege that the title Ballers "series was the name of one of its episodes. The plaintiffs claim copyright infringement and seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
In response to demand, a spokesman for HBO said: "We hope that the case is not enforceable."
Ballers , which debuted in June, has Johnson starring in the title role of a retired player in the NFL become a sports agent. He and Wahlberg as executive producers. The series is preparing his second season.
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