Apple canceled the premiere of its upcoming thriller ‘The Hunt’ just days before its scheduled release on December 3, following accusations of plagiarizing a series based on the 1973 novel and its adaptation. Production company Gaumont confirmed the postponement in a statement, stating that it is “conducting a thorough investigation to address any questions related to our production.” The company added that it “takes intellectual property issues very seriously.” The creator and director Cedric Anger is accused of copying the plot of the late writer Douglas Fairbairn’s novel “The Shot” and the 1976 film of the same name. As reported by Variety, the accusations were first made by French journalist Clément Garin.
The similarity between the two stories seems quite significant. In both stories, a group of hunters encounters adversaries in the wild, leading to brutal consequences. In each story, one hunter is injured, and the attacker dies in retaliation. The survivors return home, concealing the incident but soon become paranoid about possible retribution.
The premiere of the first two episodes of ‘The Hunt’ was to take place on December 3, followed by weekly releases until December 31, but Apple has since removed all promotional materials from its website. Apple has not yet commented on the situation. This is already the second time this year that Apple TV has last-minute canceled a completed series. The premiere of the series ‘Savant’ with Jessica Chastain was postponed a few days in September, and the release date is still unknown.
