Empire creator Lee Daniels has been hit with a bizarre lawsuit from an aspiring singer who alleges the filmmaker stole the plot of the hit TV drama from his own biopic.

Ron Newt, who claims he previously signed a "multi-million dollar" record deal with Michael Jackson and Death Row Records, claims Empire is a replica of his film, Bigger Than Big: The Documentary of Ron Newt & the MCA Music Scandal.

The 2006 film details his life as a "gangster, pimp and drug dealer", and in court documents obtained by TMZ.com, Newt points out a number of similarities between Empire and his documentary.

Newt also alleges he met with Empire star Terrence Howard years ago to discuss the film, and claims the actor wanted to play the lead role in a movie version of his life.

Newt, who named Daniels, Howard, and others in the suit, is seeking $1 billion in damages.