M. Night Shyamalan accused of copying the Apple TV+ series, ‘Servant,’ from a feature film
Director M. Night Shyamalan went on trial on Tuesday over allegations that he copied from an independent film to make the Apple TV+ show “Servant,” reports Variety.
In 2022 an appeals court ruled that the director of the 2013 film “The Truth About Emanuel” could proceed with her lawsuit against Apple and Shyamalan regarding the series. Before that, the case was dismissed in May of 2020, when Judge John F. Walter said that “Servant” was not similar enough to “Emanuel.” However, an appeals court then ruled in favor of director Francesca Gregorini.
The lawsuit claims that the Apple TV+ series “Servant” is a facsimile of Gergorini’s 2013 film, “The Truth About Emanuel.”
“Servant is a wholesale copy of Plaintiff Francesca Gregorini’s 2013 feature film The Truth About Emanuel,” the copyright infringement complaint and request for permanent injunction read. “As demonstrated by the long list of key parallels catalogued in Section III(C) of this Complaint, the misappropriation is not a mere borrowed premise, idea or story. Mr. Shyamalan has gone so far as to appropriate not just the plot of Emanuel—but also its use of cinematic language, creating a substantially similar feeling, mood, and theme.”
Shyamalan denies the charges, saying “Servant” was in development years before Gregorini’s film.
“Ms. Gregorini is seeking a windfall here,” Shyamalan’s attorney Brittany Amadi said. “She’s seeking $81 million for work she didn’t do. The truth is the creators of ‘Servant’ do not owe anything to Ms. Gregorini.”
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