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Apple TV Series Pulled Over Accusations of Plagiarism

The streamer has paused the rollout after claims its creator lifted core plot points from a 1973 U.S. thriller.

Apple TV has been forced to pull its French-language series The Hunt just days before it launched after accusations that its creator lifted major plot elements from a 1973 novel. French producer Gaumont said Tuesday Apple was delaying the release while it reviews “any questions related to the production,” adding that it takes intellectual property issues “very seriously,” the New York Times reported. The move follows reporting by French media journalist Clément Garin, who wrote on Substack that screenwriter Cédric Anger failed to tell Apple that the series mirrored Shoot, a 1973 thriller by American author Douglas Fairbairn. The book was published in France in 1974 as La Traque, according to Apple Insider. The series, starring actors Benoît Magimel, 51, and Mélanie Laurent, 42, was shot in France in 2024 and was due to broadcast on December 3. Apple Insider said it was “plausible that Apple could make a deal with the Fairbairn estate and the book’s publishers,” allowing it to eventually be legitimately released. “Doing so would make the show even more expensive to all involved, but with some chance to recoup its costs,” it added. Apple TV did not respond to a request for comment from the Times.

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Tom LatchemLead Global Correspondent

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