Apple TV pulls The Hunt over plagiarism accusation

Apple TV removed The hunt from its streaming list last week after concerns were raised about plagiarism. This decision, previously reported by Apple Insidercomes after French media journalist Clément Garin claimed the story was closely following To pulla 1974 novel written by Douglas Fairbairn.

The hunt was originally scheduled to premiere on Apple TV on December 3. However, Gaumont, the production company behind hunting, has confirmed its removal from Apple’s streaming schedule. “The broadcast of our series ‘La Chasse’ is temporarily postponed,” indicates Gaumont. Variety. “We are currently conducting a thorough review to address any questions related to our production. We take intellectual property issues very seriously.”

The French thriller follows Franck and a group of friends who encounter a group of hostile hunters during a hunting trip. Here is the connection line, according to Variety:

Franck (Magimel) and his long-time friends like to spend their weekends hunting together, but one Sunday, they come across another group of hunters who start targeting them without explanation. When one of their number is shot, Franck’s friends return fire, sending an attacker to the ground. Barely managing to escape, the four friends keep the event a secret. Franck tries to resume his usual life alongside his wife, Krystel (Laurent), but in the days that follow, he begins to have the impression that he and his friends are being watched, or worse, hunted by hunters now hell-bent on revenge.

Meanwhile, Fairbairn’s To pulladapted for the cinema in 1976, surrounds an “ultra-macho hunter” named Rex. While on a hunting trip in Canada, Rex and his friends are attacked by a group of rival hunters. When one of them is shot, another of Rex’s friends fights back, killing one of the attackers, according to the book’s description:

From there, Rex and company escape and return to civilization. Rex decides not to contact the authorities about the murder, betting that rival hunters will react the same way…. He searches for the identity of the murdered man and finds his widow. She reveals that her deceased husband’s friends claim he was killed by a “stray bullet.” This does not entirely satisfy Rex, however, who becomes convinced that the dead man’s companions will come after him and his friends.

Apple TV also postponed the launch of The scholar in September, which follows an investigator (Jessica Chastain) who attempts to infiltrate online hate groups to stop domestic terrorist attacks. The edge contacted Apple and Gaumont for comment, but did not immediately respond.