Alexander Payne sued over The Holdovers plagiarism accusations
A.V. Club • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Stephenson claims that The Holdovers shares significant similarities with his unproduced screenplay Frisco, particularly the storyline involving a gruff older man bonding with a rebellious teenager during a trip.
- He asserts that director Alexander Payne was given the Frisco script twice, including an attempt by Netflix to recruit Payne to film it, fueling allegations of plagiarism.
- Payne denies these claims, stating that The Holdovers was inspired by the 1935 French film Merlusse, about a boarding school teacher caring for children over Christmas, and has called the controversy "the stupidest thing in the world."
- Stephenson's lawyers acknowledge the older film's influence but maintain that The Holdovers closely follows Frisco as its blueprint, leading to a lawsuit seeking damages and a ban on the film's further exploitation.
- The Writers Guild of America previously declined to adjudicate Stephenson's claim, prompting the current legal action against The Holdovers.
