MOVIE NEWS – Netflix is embroiled in yet another legal dispute. This time, the streaming giant and director Adam McKay are being sued over the 2021 movie Don’t Look Up – yet again. After one self-published author previously claimed the film stole its plot from his 2012 novel Stanley’s Comet, another writer now alleges that the story was lifted from his self-published book. They say trouble comes in threes, so this might not be the last such case.

Author Darren Hunter alleges that Don’t Look Up, which was a massive success for Netflix with its star-studded cast and end-of-the-world premise, plagiarized the plot, characters, and thematic elements of his 2015 novel The Million Day Forecast. For those who thought the recent $5 million lawsuit against Mattel over emotional distress caused by a doll packaging error was extreme, Hunter is demanding a staggering $3 billion in damages.

Could This Lawsuit Succeed?

According to Variety, Hunter’s attorney Larry Klayman accuses McKay and the production team of “deceit and greed” in taking his client’s work and presenting it as their own. He described the case as an “unfortunate testament to the current state of some in Hollywood.” The lawsuit claims that both stories feature “young, determined female protagonists who must warn the world of an impending catastrophe.” It goes on to state:

“The themes of apocalyptic political satire, dark comedy, and the challenges of mobilizing collective action in the face of imminent danger are central to both works. These undeniable similarities indicate that the movie has taken key literary elements from the book without Plaintiff’s consent and authorization.”

The previous lawsuit against Don’t Look Up was dismissed just last month when a judge determined that the alleged similarities to William Collier’s novel were “too generic” to warrant further proceedings. Based on the details of this new claim, the latest lawsuit seems unlikely to offer more compelling evidence than the last. The case includes 34 claims ranging from copyright infringement to violations of Florida’s unfair trade practices laws.

While Hunter claims that he shared his book with “various individuals and entities in the entertainment industry,” the details released so far suggest that this case is hardly different from the previous one. If all this sounds like something Netflix is unlikely to lose sleep over, it’s because the streaming giant is probably right to rest easy.

Source: MovieWeb