Apple TV Abruptly Pulls ‘The Hunt’ After Plagiarism Claims
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Apple surprised observers last week when it pulled its upcoming new thriller, The Hunt, from its schedule, only a few weeks before its scheduled premiere on December 3. While we didn’t see an explanation from either Apple or the production team, a new report suggests the series was cancelled due to plagiarism issues.
French media expert Clément Garin claims that director, creator, and screenwriter Cédric Anger stole the plot from the novel Shoot by Douglas Fairbairn, which was first published in 1973 and translated into French the following year under the title La Traque — French for “The Stalking” or “The Hunt.” Screenwriter Richard Berg later adapted the original novel into a 1976 film starring Cliff Robertson and Ernest Borgnine.
Many Apple Originals have been based on existing stories, but the problem in this case is that Anger neglected to tell Apple his series was an adaptation, presumably passing it off as an original work.
Apple TV’s The Hunt was filmed in France last year, and reportedly follows the original novel’s story structure quite closely. The plot involves a group of friends who go hunting, only to find themselves being attacked by another group of hunters. Although one of the members is injured, the group escapes, deciding to stay quiet about their ordeal and go on with their lives. Unfortunately, they continue to feel as if they are still being watched and hunted.
Details remain scarce about what happened behind the scenes, but the plagiarism issue appears to have been uncovered at the last minute, long after the series was ready and on Apple TV’s schedule. Once the problem was discovered, both Apple and the show’s production company, Gaumont, quickly moved to limit their exposure to any potential lawsuits.
Apple quickly removed all traces of the show from its Apple TV streaming service and website, and took down any promotional pages and trailers posted on its YouTube accounts. The actors and production crew who made the series have also been instructed not to discuss it with anyone.
Apple and Gaumont are reportedly conferring with their legal teams to consider suing Anger for his deception, as they will likely seek ways to recover at least some of the costs of producing the series.
Despite the allegations, there’s still a chance the series could appear on Apple TV or another streaming service. Since the show has been filmed and edited and is streaming-ready, Apple could seek to make a deal with the original author’s estate and book publishers for the legitimate rights to the novel. While that would be an added expense for Apple and the production company, it would provide a path to recouping some of the costs.
This isn’t the first time Apple TV has removed an upcoming series from its schedule. In September, Apple pulled its new thriller, The Savant, just days before it was set to launch. However, in this case, it seems the show was merely postponed rather than cancelled. Apple swiftly removed mentions of The Savant’s scheduled premiere from its social media, and the TV app and press page now merely show the series as coming “at a later date.”
Although Apple provided no specific details regarding the delay, it is widely believed that The Savant’s theme of radical online hate groups and political violence led the company to pull the show due to the sensitive climate following the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
