TMZ is reporting that Joe Carlini has filed a lawsuit against Paramount, BET, Will Packer, and most of the screenwriters for the 2019 film What Men Want, alleging that some ideas were stolen from a script he wrote and shopped around a few years ago.
Carlini claims that after completing his screenplay titled What the F Is He Thinking? in 2015, he met with representatives for a few production companies, including The Weinstein Company, about getting his movie off the ground. Carlini alleges he even spoke with a few actors—James Franco, Chris Pratt, Nick Swardson, and King Bach—about starring in his project. Nothing materialized from these interactions.
Carlini says he became suspicious of What Men Want after noticing some similarities shared between his script and the Taraji P. Henson-starred film. Both main characters wish they could understand men better. Both of them fall and hit their heads after partying, and wake up in the hospital with the ability to hear men's thoughts. He also claims that both leads wind up losing their power after hitting their head.
Carlini wanted to include athletes in What the F, and was allegedly in talks with the NFL's Terrell Owens and Cordarrelle Patterson. What Men Want ended up having cameos by Shaquille O'Neal, Grant Hill, and Lisa Leslie.
Carlini, who is suing for copyright infringement, is seeking a portion of the $72 million grossed by What Men Want. The film was released to theaters back in February.
Check out the trailer for #WhatMenWant, starring @TheRealTaraji, in theatres this January! pic.twitter.com/9i67HTnQUU
