Songwriter Files Lawsuit Against Paramount Over Unpaid Track in Smurfs Film

GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Sam Roman sued Paramount Pictures on Jan. 30, 2026. He claims the studio used two tracks he wrote for the 2025 Smurfs movie, but never asked permission and never paid him. The complaint names "Anyone," sung by Rihanna, and "Always on the Outside," sung by James Corden.

His lawsuit accuses Paramount of copyright infringement, fraud, and negligent misrepresentation.

"Paramount knew full well that it had no right to use plaintiff's intellectual property in this way. Indeed, Paramount credits plaintiff as the songwriter and producer of both tracks," writes attorney Jonathan Steinsapir in the complaint, according to Billboard. "Despite these credits, Paramount has still not paid plaintiff even a penny."

Roman says Paramount contacted him in 2022 about writing music for the movie. They told him Rihanna would sing it. They promised heavy promotion. He'd keep backend royalties too.

But things changed. As the movie's release date approached, Roman discovered "Anyone" wouldn't get a commercial release at all, which meant the money situation had shifted drastically, and talks between the two sides collapsed. No agreement existed when Paramount released the film with his songs in key scenes.

After the movie came out, the studio pointed fingers at Rihanna for the payment mess, according to what Roman's lawyers say in court papers. "Paramount took the tack common to a toddler confronted with wrongdoing: Blame someone else. In this case, blame Rihanna," Steinsapir writes. "Paramount decided to punish plaintiff — and brazenly infringe his copyrights by using them without consent and without paying him a dime — because the studio was mad at Rihanna."

Rihanna isn't named as a defendant. Roman's lawyers say he has no problem with the singer. His complaint targets the studio alone.

The Smurfs film — a live-action animated hybrid that hit theaters in June 2025 — got bad reviews and lost $80 million for Paramount, according to reports. Roman goes by RØMANS when he performs. He has written music with Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, Demi Lovato, Maroon 5, Alicia Keys, John Legend, and Calvin Harris. He also co-wrote Lewis Capaldi's 2018 hit "Someone You Loved," which topped charts. 

A representative for Paramount didn't respond Monday when asked about the lawsuit's accusations. A spokeswoman for Rihanna also didn't respond.