Apple TV pulls French series Furtivo amid plagiarism allegations
Apple and Gaumont have paused the series after claims that director Cédric Anger copied Douglas Fairbairn’s 1973 novel Shoot; an investigation and.
Key Points
- Apple TV removed promos and delayed Furtivo’s premiere following plagiarism allegations.
- Accuser: Cédric Anger allegedly plagiarized Douglas Fairbairn’s 1973 novel Shoot.
- Gaumont confirmed the probe and said the show will remain on hold during the IP review.
- Apple and Gaumont may pursue legal action or seek a settlement with Fairbairn’s family; series stars Magimel and Laurent.
Apple TV has temporarily pulled the French series Furtivo, which was due to premiere on Wednesday, after accusations that its creator and director, Cédric Anger, plagiarized the 1973 novel Shoot by American writer Douglas Fairbairn.
Shoot was adapted for film in 1976, starring Cliff Robertson. The allegation was first reported by French journalist Clément Garin and by Apple Insider, and has since been confirmed by Gaumont, the production company behind Furtivo and other French hits such as Lupin.
Gaumont said the broadcast has been postponed while the company conducts a thorough review to address any intellectual property concerns and emphasized that it takes such matters very seriously. Apple TV has removed all promotional material for the series from its official channels.
Furtivo stars Benoît Magimel and Mélanie Laurent; Laurent is widely known for her role as Shoshanna in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. The series will remain on hold at least until the investigation into the alleged plagiarism is complete.
According to reporting by Garin, Apple and Gaumont are considering legal action against Anger, though another possible outcome would be reaching an agreement with Fairbairn’s family—the author died in 1997—to resolve authorship claims and allow a release. Observers say the case has gained momentum after comparisons were made between the official synopses of the series and the novel.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: