Alexander Payne’s Oscar-Nominated Film, ‘The Holdovers’ Accused of Plagiarism by ‘Luca’ Writer
- Victor Nwoko
- Mar 10, 2024
- 2 min read
British writer Simon Stephenson, credited for his contributions to acclaimed films like “Luca” and “Paddington 2,” alleges that the Oscar-nominated film “The Holdovers” heavily plagiarized his script, “Frisco.” The film, with a Best Original Screenplay nomination, is penned by David Hemingson.
Stephenson asserts, as reported by Variety, that evidence of plagiarism is “overwhelming,” describing it as “brazen.” His script, “Frisco,” gained industry recognition after appearing on the Black List in 2013, depicting the story of a pediatric allergist encountering life lessons from a terminally ill teenager during a trip to San Francisco.
In contrast, “The Holdovers” features Paul Giamatti as a boarding school teacher tasked with caring for a student during a school break. Payne, the director, stated that the film was inspired by a French movie from 1935 and a TV pilot from Hemingson set in a boarding school.
Stephenson alleges Payne had access to his script in 2013 and 2019. While Payne read the script in 2013 but didn’t pursue it, Netflix considered the project in 2019 based on Payne’s interest. However, the streaming service ultimately passed, with Payne indicating it wasn’t what he was seeking.
Despite seeking assistance from the Writers Guild, Stephenson was informed that they couldn’t intervene since “Frisco” was a speculative script. In a detailed document shared with Variety, Stephenson argued that “The Holdovers” extensively copied his script’s story, structure, characters, and dialogue.
He emphasized that the similarity went beyond mere coincidence, suggesting that “The Holdovers” might have been created by directly transposing “Frisco” into screenwriting software and overtyping it line by line.
While acknowledging the possibility of shared ideas, Stephenson maintained that the situation with “The Holdovers” was not merely a case of similar concepts.
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