Apple TV pulled “The Hunt,” an upcoming French series, from its schedule following plagiarism accusations, TheWrap has learned. The decision was made days before the drama was supposed to launch on the streamer.
Specifically, the series has been accused of copying key elements from “Shoot,” a little-known 1973 thriller written by American author Douglas Fairbairn. A French version of “Shoot” was published a year after its release and titled “The Hunt,” according to Apple Insider. That is what series director, creator and screenwriter Cédric Anger is accused of plagiarizing.
French media journalist Clément Garin reported on his Substack that Anger did not tell Apple TV his show was an adaptation. Starring Benoît Magimel and Mélanie Laurent, “The Hunt” was supposed to premiere on Dec. 3.
“We take intellectual property matters very seriously,” Gaumont, the French production company behind the series, said in a statement obtained by TheWrap. The company also launched a review designed to address “any questions related to the production.”
Apple TV declined to comment on this story.
Though a majority of Apple TV’s originals are English-language, the series has been expanding its offerings of non-English shows in recent years. The first of these series to air on the streamer was “Tehran,” a spy thriller that’s been renewed for a third season and features dialogue in Hebrew, Persian and English. Including “Tehran,” the streamer has seven currently-running shows that aren’t predominantly English-language: “Woman in Blue,” “Where’s Wanda,” “Love You to Death,” “Carême,” “Drops of God” and “Berlin ER.” Two of those shows — “Carême” and “Drops of God” — are in French as are two other Apple TV shows that have already ended — “Liaison” and “La Maison.”
