50 Cent Loses Suit Against Nigerian Author Over Movie Title

A famed Nigerian author won a recent legal battle against 50 Cent to court over the title of his film "Things Fall Apart."

It looks like things are falling apart rather quickly for 50 Cent's upcoming football flick Things Fall Apart. After being sued for $200,000 for unpaid services on the film, the Queens rapper recently lost a major legal battle against famed Nigerian author Chinua Achebe over the movie's title.

According to BroadwayGhana.com, 50 Cent was recently forced to change the name of his upcoming film Things Falls Apart over a copyright dispute involving the title. Upon learning of the film's title, Chinua Achebe, who wrote the iconic 1958 novel of the same name, threatened to sue Fiddy and the film's backers over a violation his celebrated book's copyright.

50 and company attempted settle out of court with the African author's foundation, offering them $1 million to use the title. Ultimately, the Chinua Achebe Foundation refused the offer, and the film's producers persuaded the G-Unit general to change the title to All Things Fall Apart to avoid a more serious legal battle.
"The novel with the said title was initially produced in 1958 (that is 17 years before rapper 50 Cent was born), [is] listed as the mostly read book in modern African literature, and won’t be sold for even $1 billion,” Achebe's legal representatives said.

All Things Fall Apart, which was written by Brian A. Miller and 50 Cent, follows the story of a college football player whose sports career is cut short by cancer. The film was directed by New Jack City maestro Mario Van Peebles and stars Peebles, Ray Liotta and 50 Cent in the lead role.