Shyamalan faces an 81 million dollar lawsuit for plagiarism

Italian director Francesca Gregorini has filed an $81 million lawsuit against Shyamalan and Apple, claiming they stole key elements of her 2013 film The Truth About Emmanuel, according to Mehr News Agency, citing Variety.

In California federal court on Tuesday, Gregorini's attorney showed jurors clips from both projects, which show a delusional mother caring for a real baby by caring for a doll and a nanny who shares her illusion. They are the main subjects of the story.

He told the jury: It is quite clear that without “Emmanuel”, there would be no “servitude”.

Shyamalan was present in this court along with the producer Taylor Latham and Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV Plus and Tony Bagalup, the British writer who created the series. Their lawyer's argument was based on the fact that Bagalup started making the series years before the release of “The Truth About Emmanuel” and that those involved in the production of the series did not use the film.

He added: “Gregorini is looking for a windfall and wants to get 81 million dollars for something he didn't do, but the truth is that the creators of “Servant” do not owe Ms. Gregorini.

Gregorini filed his lawsuit in January 2020, shortly after The Maid premiered. A federal judge initially dismissed the case, but an appeals court brought it up again in 2022, creating a real dispute over whether the two works were substantially similar.

Jurors will begin the case by watching the entirety of “The Truth About Emmanuel” and the first three episodes of “The Handmaiden.”

“The Truth About Emanuel,” starring Jessica Biel and Kaya Scodelario, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and grossed just $226 in Los Angeles and just $9 per ticket in Philadelphia.

To prove copyright infringement, the plaintiff must show both substantial similarities and prove that the defendant had access to the infringed work.

Apple's argument is that the two projects are of different genres, and while “The Maid” is a supernatural thriller, “Emmanuel” is an emotional coming-of-age drama.

He said: Gregorini did not invent the idea of ​​a reborn doll and you cannot be the owner of a fact and an idea because such a doll is used in psychiatry and is used as a therapeutic aid for patients in dealing with grief.