Alexander Payne Hit With Copyright Suit Over 'The Holdovers' Script

Key Points:

• Screenwriter Simon Stephenson filed a lawsuit against Alexander Payne and others, alleging that the film "The Holdovers" was based on his unproduced screenplay "Frisco," which centers on a doctor and a teenage patient at a children's hospital.
• The lawsuit claims there are 46 closely matching plot incidents between the two scripts, arguing that "The Holdovers" copied the structure and key elements of "Frisco" with only superficial changes.
• Stephenson’s script, written in 2012-13 and ranked third on the Black List, was shared with Payne in 2013 and 2019, but Payne declined to produce or direct it; the lawsuit contends Payne later influenced "The Holdovers" screenplay to include elements from "Frisco."
• Alexander Payne denied the allegations at the Sarajevo Film Festival, calling the claim "the stupidest thing in the world," while the Writers Guild of America declined to adjudicate the dispute and referred Stephenson to legal counsel.
• The lawsuit names Payne, "The Holdovers" screenwriter David Hemingson, producer Mark Johnson, Miramax, Focus Features, and other entities as defendants, accusing them of using Stephenson’s script as a blueprint for the film.