Rihanna Smurfs Song Lawsuit Settled

A lawsuit filed by Grammy-nominated songwriter Sam Roman against Paramount Pictures over a Rihanna track used in the Smurfs movie has been settled. Roman claimed the studio used his song "Anyone" without permission or payment. He alleged that Paramount initially approached him in 2022 about writing a song for the film, intended for Rihanna and heavily promoted.

According to the lawsuit, the studio later decided not to release the song commercially, which halted negotiations. Roman asserted that Paramount then "astoundingly" used his uncleared music in key scenes. The lawsuit further alleged that Paramount blamed Rihanna for budget overruns, stating the studio was frustrated with her participation and felt it had not received an appropriate return. Rihanna was not accused of any wrongdoing and was not involved in the litigation. The live-action/animated hybrid Smurfs movie, released last summer, was a box-office flop. In addition to "Anyone," Roman also claimed another song he wrote for the film was used without his consent.