Is the second most successful Netflix film a plagiarism? Allegations against Leonardo DiCaprio’s film Don’t Look Up describe exactly that

Two years ago the satirical doomsday film hit Don’t Look Up starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence hit Netflix like a meteorite and became one of the streamer’s most successful films. But now a writer accuses author and director Adam McKay of stealing the idea and plot of the film from his book to have.

Lawsuit against Netflix film with Leonardo DiCaprio: Did Adam McKay steal Don’t Look Up?

The star-studded sci-fi comedy Don’t Look Up, about a speeding comet that threatens to destroy the entire earth, divided critics and audiences in 2021. The film still received four Oscar nominations: for Best Picture, Music, Editing and – and this is where it gets interesting – Best Original Screenplay. The credits credit the script to Adam McKay and the story idea to McKay and David Sirota. But as the Hollywood Reporter reports, The writer William Collier sues the director for plagiarizing his story.

In 2012, author William Collier self-published his black comedy Stanley’s Comet. The socially critical book tells the story of how a scientist at the bottom of NASA’s hierarchy discovers a massive comet that is heading straight for Earth. However, the government is skeptical as to whether the threat is real and is considering a nuclear strike if necessary. The media is also more likely to make the researchers of the disaster famous than to contribute anything to resolving the situation. Meanwhile, the rich are making their own plans for survival. – If you’ve seen Don’t Look Up, you’ll be here lots of parallel plots recognize. For example in Leonardo DiCaprio’s scientist character.

Proving plagiarism in the Netflix film Don’t Look Up requires more than just pointing out the similarity

Adam McKay and Netflix have not yet commented on this. Collier is demanding $5 million in its lawsuit for the “stunning similarity” of the successful film based on his novel. If he wants to succeed, however, he will have to prove in court that McKay (and not just his agency) had access to his work.

Author William Collier claims that his Book reached Adam McKay through several corners must be: He sent his own daughter Adrienne Metz a copy of his novel back in 2007, with the assumption that she would pass it on. Metz worked as an assistant for Jimmy Miller Entertainment (a division of Mosaic Media Group). Jimmy Miller is said to have been Adam McKay’s manager until 2015 and the two worked together on films like Step Brothers.

It is currently uncertain what the outcome of the plagiarism lawsuit will be. A lawsuit two years after its release could bring new attention to the Netflix film. According to MovieWeb, Don’t Look Up is number 2 on the most-watched list with over 408 million hours watched Netflix movies and is only surpassed by Red Notice.

Podcast: The 10 most exciting streaming films in December on Netflix, Amazon and Co.

Do you still need recommendations on what to watch during Advent and Christmas? We introduce you to the most promising streaming films in December:

There are exciting new releases this month among the streaming services’ own productions. They range from Netflix’s sci-fi blockbuster of the year to fairy tales and Mark Wahlberg action to a new Harry Potter film.