Usually when a new series or new movie releases on a streaming platform, it gets a lot of build-up promotion (at least outside of Netflix). But a new series that was soon set to start streaming via Apple TV subscription is now getting zero promotion, and in fact, there’s basically no evidence that the project ever happened. That unfortunate outcome is likely to remain the case for some time, as accusations of plagiarism have been levied against the show's creator, which means there’s a good chance that lawsuits are incoming.
Back on November 20, Apple TV pulled all promotion (including trailers, press photos and more) for a new French drama series called The Hunt. At the time there was no explanation for the removal. The show had been set to debut on the platform in December. According to French media expert Clement Garin (via Apple Insider) the reason is that the series creator Cédric Anger, has been accused of taking the story from the Douglas Fairbairn novel Shoot.
French production company Gaumont released a statement to Variety in which it confirmed that the show was pulled due to plagiarism concerns. An investigation is now underway. Gaumont’s statement reads:
The broadcast of our series ‘The Hunt’ has been temporarily postponed. We are currently conducting a thorough review to address any questions related to our production. We take intellectual property matters very seriously.
While there have apparently been no complaints or plagiarism lawsuits filed against Guomont or Apple as of this writing, it appears the efforts made to scrub the series' promotional materials from the internet is part of an attempt to limit exposure if a lawsuit were to be filed. Apple Insider also indicates that the tech giant and Gaumont might also be contemplating a lawsuit of their own against series creator Cédric Anger.
Plagiarism lawsuits are far from uncommon in the entertainment industry. Disney has been sued multiple times over the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Oscar winner The Shape of Water was accused of plagiarism. Usually, however, these concerns happen after a piece of media has been released, as the popularization of such works can sometimes work in the plaintiff's favor. Seeing a studio halt the release of something ahead of time is much more uncommon, and implies the allegations are indeed legit.
Douglas Fairbairn’s novel Shoot from 1976 tells the story of a group of hunters who cross paths with another group in the woods and have a violent altercation. Followng the event, the hunters return to normal life, but believe the other group may still be after them. The book was previously adapted into a film of the same name.
While Apple has scrubbed the trailer from all official YouTube and social channels, the trailer was reposted and is still available online elsewhere. Based on that trailer, the core premise of The Hunt does seem to follow Shoot quite closely.
It will certainly be interesting to see where things go from here. The Hunt will certainly remain on ice while investigations are undertaken. If there are lawsuits over the plagiarism, it could be months or years before they are settled in any way that might allow the series to be released. Of course, it’s also possible that the situation might become so legally fraught that The Hunt might never actually be released.
