Current:Home > Contact-usAdam McKay accused of ripping off 2012 book to create Oscar-nominated film 'Don't Look Up'-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Adam McKay accused of ripping off 2012 book to create Oscar-nominated film 'Don't Look Up'
View Date:2025-01-13 21:47:15
Adam McKay, who wrote and directed the 2021 Oscar-nominated satire "Don't Look Up," is being accused of copying elements of a Louisiana writer's 2012 book in the star-studded film's script.
William Collier sued McKay for copyright infringement in a complaint filed Wednesday in California federal court, which was obtained Friday by USA TODAY. McKay and his production company Hyperobject Industries, as well as Bluegrass Films, Netflix and David Sirota (who has a story credit on the film), are also listed as defendants in the complaint.
Collier alleges that "Don't Look Up" is "strikingly similar" to a novel he wrote around 2004, "Stanley's Comet." McKay "intentionally, willfully, and without authorization used and misappropriated the themes, settings, pace, plot, and mood along with many of the same events and characters found in Stanley's Comet," according to Collier's lawsuit.
In his complaint, Collier claims that McKay had access to his novel via his manager at the time, Jimmy Miller. In 2007, Collier sent a digital copy of “Stanley’s Comet” to his daughter, who worked for Jimmy Miller Entertainment and submitted the manuscript for consideration. Collier ultimately self-published the story in his 2012 book "In Extremis: Two Novels," which he registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 2022.
The plots of "Stanley's Comet" and "Don't Look Up" are "practically identical," the lawsuit claims: “Low level scientists find a large comet that is headed straight towards earth and is going to destroy the earth and wipe out all humanity in a matter of time.” The scientists share the news on a morning talk show, but government leaders downplay the seriousness of the situation.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for McKay and Netflix for comment.
"Don't Look Up" had a limited theatrical release before it started streaming on Netflix in December 2021.
It was nominated for four Academy Awards and starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Timothée Chalamet and Tyler Perry. McKay is an Academy Award-winning screenwriter who has penned scripts for films including "Step Brothers," "The Big Short" and "Vice."
5 craziest moments in 'Don't Look Up:From President Streep to apocalyptic Ariana Grande
veryGood! (417)
Related
- Mississippi woman pleads guilty to stealing Social Security funds
- Kissing Booth Star Joey King Responds to Jacob Elordi’s “Unfortunate” Criticism of the Franchise
- Cause sought of explosion that leveled an Arlington, Virginia, home as police tried to serve warrant
- World carbon dioxide emissions increase again, driven by China, India and aviation
- Jennifer Hudson, Kylie Minogue and Billy Porter to perform at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
- Missing Idaho baby found dead by road; father in custody in connection with death of his wife
- Tom Holland Shares What He Appreciates About Girlfriend Zendaya
- International Ice Hockey Federation to mandate neck guards after the death of a player by skate cut
- 2 weeks after Peanut the Squirrel's euthanasia, owner is seeking answers, justice
- Missing woman from Minnesota found dead in garbage compactor of NYC condominium building
Ranking
- Elton John Details Strict Diet in His 70s
- 'Standing on business': What the internet's latest slang term means and how to use it.
- COP28 climate conference president Sultan al-Jaber draws more fire over comments on fossil fuels
- Illinois halts construction of Chicago winter migrant camp while it reviews soil testing at site
- Prayers and cheeseburgers? Chiefs have unlikely fuel for inexplicable run
- The Ultimate Gift Guide for Every Woman in Your Life: Laneige, UGG, Anthropologie, Diptyque & More
- Hungary’s Orban demands Ukraine’s EU membership be taken off the agenda at a bloc summit
- Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore Deserve an Award for This Iconic Housewives Reenactment
Recommendation
-
Eva Longoria calls US 'dystopian' under Trump, has moved with husband and son
-
An Arkansas deputy fatally shot a man who fled from an attempted traffic stop, authorities say
-
If you like the ManningCast, you'll probably love the double dose ESPN plans to serve up
-
Regulators begin hearings on how much customers should pay for Georgia nuclear reactors
-
Elton John Details Strict Diet in His 70s
-
Cosmonauts remotely guide Russian cargo ship to space station docking after guidance glitch
-
Israel strikes in and around Gaza’s second largest city in an already bloody new phase of the war
-
Activists at COP28 summit ramp up pressure on cutting fossil fuels as talks turn to clean energy