'All Eyez On Me' Producers, Writers Sued by Kevin Powell, They Stole

Publish date: 2024-09-04

The filmmakers behind "All Eyez On Me" kept too close an eye on interviews Tupac did with a famous journalist, and then used his work -- without permission -- to write their script ... according to a lawsuit.

Kevin Powell wrote a series of articles for Vibe in the mid '90s focusing on Tupac's 2 major influences -- the civil rights movement (his mother, Afeni Shakur, was a Black Panther) ... and the gangsta rap movement.

According to the suit, 'Eyez' executive producer L.T. Hutton did an interview just this month, saying he looked at "all of the interviews" of Tupac to make the movie.

Powell -- who you'd also recognize from season 1 of "Real World" -- says after seeing the movie he saw many similarities to his articles. For instance, the movie has a character named Nigel ... as does Powell's article. But he says his Nigel was fictional, based on a real guy named "Haitian Jack." The fact Nigel appears in the movie, proves filmmakers lifted Powell's work ... according to the suit.

He says the movie also features a journalist, played by Hill Harper, talking to Pac in prison ... just as he did.

Sources connected to Powell tell us the parallel isn't lost on the public, because he's been asked multiple times if Hill's character is based on him.

We're told Powell's currently working on a Tupac biography, but before that comes out he's shooting for the moon with this lawsuit. He's asking a judge to immediately block the film from playing in theaters ... and award him a slice of the profits it's already earned.