Apple and M. Night Shyamalan Sued Over 'Servant' TV Show's Similarity to 2013 Movie 'The Truth About Emanuel'

[moabal]

I will never forgive him for that train wreck! Haven't watched anything he's made since.

One of my favorite shows as a kid. Not only was the movie bad for fans of Avatar The Last Airbender, it was a bad film for casual viewers.

I am cautiously optimistic for the upcoming Netflix live action show from the original creators.

 

[Glavin]

Didn't Suzanne Collins take the quote from Picasso that, "good artists borrow, but great artists steal," and then convert it to, "so do mediocre artists steal"?

 

[dotnet]

The majority of what Hollywood has been putting out over the last few decades has been a remix or an outright remake of something that came before. It looks like now, that Apple is in the picture, the age of lawsuits is dawning on this. Or perhaps, there have always been lawsuits like this, but nobody took notice because Apple wasn't involved.

 

[PickUrPoison]

My husband and I are watching it, mainly because we have a grim, morbid determination to find out what the hell is going on with these crazy unlikable people. Also there's some amusement to be had in seeing Rupert Grint trying on an American accent and sometimes choking on it.

There is additional morbid fascination because the mom on the show reminds us so much of an acquaintance of ours. They share the same looks and fashion sense. Same mannerisms. Same intensely overly upbeat way of speaking that sounds like it could turn into a deranged rant if you say the wrong thing...but you're not quite sure what that wrong thing could be. There's just this sense that there's a trigger there, just out of sight.

The show is not meant to be in any way realistic or relatable, yet they've got a character that is in many ways a replica of an actual person we know. That freaks us out every episode, as we watch this mom character and wait to see what's up with her, even as we wonder what might be up with the woman we know in real life.

We would rather watch other shows, but really we can't look away. This is a really creepy freaky show. I haven't really watched series television in over a decade. I'm giving Apple TV a chance and I like the shows so far but this one is definitely bizarre. And really super inappropriate for the family. I laugh so hard when I recall how indignant everyone was when they thought Apple TV was going to be family friendly. Hah!

As for this movie that Servant is supposedly ripping off, well it looks like it stars that actress that ruins every movie for me that she is in. So I'll root for Apple.

Sounds like the woman you know is substantially similar in feeling, mood and theme to the character in Servant.

Maybe she should sue Apple too 😂

 

[Ar40]

What a frivolous lawsuit. She is hoping Apple caves to potentially bad PR so she and her lawyers can get a payday. There are more than enough differences between her show and Servant. Not least of which is that the baby doll in Servant is brought to life, and Leanne the nanny seems to have actual supernatural powers. The similarities are merely superficial. I hope Apple doesn’t settle. Put this garbage Lawsuit down like the pathetic money grab it is.
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Thanks for spoilers Macrumors 😞

How about watching the show before reading a forum topic about it. The baby/doll element is in episode 1.
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M. Knight SucksaLot should be cast out of Hollywood, and shunned by the rest of the world. He has duped too many people to be forgiven.

I hope you and all the other inane and ADS (Apple derangement syndrome) posters on this forum blaming Shyamalan realize that he was just the director. He had nothing to do with the writing. Tony Basgallop is responsible for any similarities. Which btw there aren’t any of any merit/ importance. This is like DC suing Marvel for cribbing Captain Marvel from Superman.

 

[Flight Plan]

Not surprised. He should also be sued for butchering the live action movie of Avatar the Last Airbender.

His biggest mistake was to try retelling the same story that took twenty six 24-minute episodes from the first season of AtLA, and cram it all into one 90 minute movie.

All stories copy. The Marix and Star Wars are both based on Christ like figures. Nothing is original.

I call this Hollywood's "Superman Syndrome". They can't seem to make a movie without a Superman/Batman/Christ all-powerful character. Either an evil one (Terminator, Godzilla) or a good one (Iron Man, the latest 5 Mission Impossible movies).

Thanks for spoilers Macrumors 😞

You should be watching it instead of wasting your time on Forums all day. Then you wouldn't be worried about spoilers.

I will never forgive him for that train wreck! Haven't watched anything he's made since.

I liked Peltz's acting, and the tattoos on the kid were amazing. Plus, his martial arts were very good. Again, I think the worst part was that he didn't have enough time to properly tell a 12-hour story in 90 minutes. As a filmmaker, he should have realized that and he should have fixed it. Tell a different story. The Avatar world would certainly have SOMETHING else out there worthy of good storytelling.

 

[MacBH928]

Whatever happened to originality? It seems to be a lost art.

because movies are a business looking to make money, they rather release Transformers 23 episode.5 rather than take a risk and release something new that might flop.

 

[Spectrum]

Publicity for both...

 

[mw360]

Whatever happened to originality? It seems to be a lost art.

Audiences found it confusing.

 

[G2covers]

Not getting into the 'copied or not' as I haven't seen either of these yet. However, I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned that Shayamalan has previous in this area.

I'm in the minority of loving The Village - though I acknowledge how much of that is owed to James Newton Howard's great score - but it shamelessly ripped off a book "for young readers", Running Out of Time by the (relatively?) unknown Margaret Peterson Haddix.

I was such a fanboy of the movie that I tracked down a paperback copy years ago (ISBN 0-689-80084-3, if anyone is interested) to prove to myself that it wasn't so. Yes, there are differences/changes/additions etc., but the core plot - and crucially for Shyamalan, the twist - are virtually identical.

Here's the first paragraph from the back-cover blurb:

Jessie lives with her family in the frontier village of Clifton, Indiana, in 1840 - or so she believes. When diphtheria strikes the village and the children of Clifton start dying, Jessie’s mother reveals a shocking secret - it’s actually 1996, and they are living in a reconstructed village that serves as a tourist site. In the world outside, medicine exists that can cure the dread disease, and Jessie’s mother is sending her on a dangerous mission to bring back help.

Sound familiar? All it needed was a "based on","inspired by" or equivalent. So we're left thinking it's all about artificially creating and preserving a personal mystique, a cult of (undeserved) genius. Doesn't mean he can't create great content though, or that he is 'guilty' in the current case. Just worth bearing in mind.

 

[Glockworkorange]

Well, other than aliens that reacted that way when they came into contact with water could not even visit this planet.

It’s not about the Aliens. It’s a great story.

Believable they would come to a planet 70% water? Nope.

BUT...it’s a movie about...aliens, so 🤷‍♂️

 

[farewelwilliams]

I read your post and feel it is substantially similar in feeling, mood and theme to my current post.

better lawyer up.

 

[FaustsHausUK]

I haven’t seen the full movie, but I watched the trailer and read the full plot on Wikipedia. I’ve watched all of Servant bar the last episode. This legal action is baseless - besides the plot point of a mother using a doll to cope with a lost baby, they are totally different. They share a cinematic language only insofar as they are both suspenseful.

I’ve found Servant an infuriating watch, but this is stupid.

 

[mazz0]

To each his own. Everyone in our family really likes the series and we look forward to each episode. Is it just that you couldn't figure out what was actually going on?

No. It's just that after 5 episodes I don't CARE what's going on. I really don't.

Nothing's going on! There's about one episode's worth of story!

 

[nburwell]

Now I'm curious to check out the film (doesn't look to be on any streaming services currently).

It's unfortunate since Servant is probably my favorite Apple TV+ show thus far, even though the last couple episodes have left much to be desired.

 

[RobNYC]

I think this lawsuit will be a tough sell...

It’s SUPER common for there to be similar movies that are trending in Hollywood at the same time.
My jaded opinion is that when someone is shopping around a script, some of the houses that don’t get it- try to quickly get a script w/ a similar plot, to cash in on the “hotness” of that genre.
Think about the flurry of disaster films that were released about a decade ago... I’m certain at least 2 or 3 of them were meteor based disasters, with incredibly similar plots.
Same could be said of zombie/post-apocalyptic films of about 5 years ago- etc, etc.

If this lawsuit were to succeed- Hollywood would become an overnight ********- maybe Magicians is too close to Harry Potter? Maybe like 3 dozen procedural crime investigation shows are too much like Law & Order and CSI?
Lol, 90% of tv & film would just get cancelled.

Hell, even the movie The Sixth Sense came out around the same time a Stir of Echos. Or Blair Witch and The Last Broadcast.
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There've been countless copy-cat movies in the world but of course if it's coming from Apple they gotta sue, who knows they could earn money.

M. Knight Shyamalan is the big reason there's a law suit. He's the main marketing point for this show.
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Signs was excellent.

Not to mention Split was also considered a good movie.

 

[Ar40]

Now I'm curious to check out the film (doesn't look to be on any streaming services currently).

It's unfortunate since Servant is probably my favorite Apple TV+ show thus far, even though the last couple episodes have left much to be desired.

Really? I thought episode 9 kicked serious butt. Every time Jericho was in a scene I kept expecting something to happen. The tension was strong.

 

[5105973]

Sounds like the woman you know is substantially similar in feeling, mood and theme to the character in Servant.

Maybe she should sue Apple too 😂

lol, as far as I know, she and her husband hate Apple so suing Apple would suit her just fine.

 

[RobNYC]

Not getting into the 'copied or not' as I haven't seen either of these yet. However, I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned that Shayamalan has previous in this area.

I'm in the minority of loving The Village - though I acknowledge how much of that is owed to James Newton Howard's great score - but it shamelessly ripped off a book "for young readers", Running Out of Time by the (relatively?) unknown Margaret Peterson Haddix.

I was such a fanboy of the movie that I tracked down a paperback copy years ago (ISBN 0-689-80084-3, if anyone is interested) to prove to myself that it wasn't so. Yes, there are differences/changes/additions etc., but the core plot - and crucially for Shyamalan, the twist - are virtually identical.

Here's the first paragraph from the back-cover blurb:

Sound familiar? All it needed was a "based on","inspired by" or equivalent. So we're left thinking it's all about artificially creating and preserving a personal mystique, a cult of (undeserved) genius. Doesn't mean he can't create great content though, or that he is 'guilty' in the current case. Just worth bearing in mind.

That novel Out Of Time sounds more similar to The Truman Show.

 

[cliffster82]

Is the show creepy? They make it look creepy. Not in to scary stuff but some psychological thriller stuff is good.

 

[timidpimpin]

It's shocking... some people actually seem offended by the thought of something being original.

 

[jucuyo]

I honestly don't see plagiarism here

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

We (our family) watched the Emmanuel movie last night, and the unanimous decision was that apart from having a Mother whose baby died and is believing a baby doll is her baby, there is not much that is similar. Oh -- a teenage female babysitter. In Emmanuel, the babysitter knew which way was up, but not so much in Servant.

Overall, no case here. Good luck!

 

[Jon Rowlison]

Wow, a lawsuit, eh? This whole "reused plot" NEVER happens in movies so this should be ground-breaking.

[Wait until the lawyers for the prosecution find out about 'remakes' and adaptations.]

 

[jlseattle]

Lawsuits are out of control in America. Oh well.