Netflix and the creators of Stranger Thing are reportedly being sued for stealing the idea for the show from an unpublished screenplay.
Show runners Matt and Ross Duffer and the streaming service have come up against a lawsuit from production company Irish Rover Entertainment, who claim that the show copied its concept from its TV series project, titled Totem.
According to Digital Spy, the screenplay for Totem is written by Jeffrey Kennedy, who claims responsibility for the shows' "plot, sequence, characters, theme, dialogue, mood, and setting, as well as copyrighted concept art".
The lawsuit states Aaron Sims helped Jeffrey develop Totem, and later provided the concept art for Stranger Things, linking the two shows. Jeffrey also said Totem was originally inspired by the death of one of his childhood friends, who had epilepsy.
The lawsuit reads:
"During their childhood together in rural Indiana, Osthimer and Kennedy dealt with the constant threat of Osthimer's 'personal demon', epilepsy, which created 'lightning showers' in his brain. These lightning showers or seizures would send him to an alternate supernatural plane where the demon resided."
The claim goes on to draw numerous comparisons between the two shows, noting that they have the same basic premise, the lead character is a young female, and both feature an alternate universe with supernatural dark spirits.
In response to the lawsuit, a Netflix representative told The Wrap:
"Mr Kennedy has been peddling these far-fetched conspiracy theories for years, even though Netflix has repeatedly explained to him that The Duffer Brothers had never heard of him or his unpublished script until he began threatening to sue them.
"After we refused to give in to his demands for a payoff, he filed this baseless lawsuit. There is no shortage of people who would like to claim credit for creating Stranger Things. But the truth is the show was independently conceived by The Duffer Brothers, and is the result of their creativity and hard work."
Blimey.
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