The show about an immortal living in NYC hasn’t even hit the air yet, but ABC’s drama Forever already is getting some potential legal pushback. Today RadicalMedia sent a pointed to producer Warner Bros TV claiming that the supernatural procedural unveiled last week at the upfronts “sounds rather similar” to the best-selling 2003 novel Forever by Pete Hamill about an immortal living in the Big Apple. “This claim is baseless,” said a WBTV spokesperson today in response.
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It sounds similar to a few dozen books I've read... so do most show and movie pitches. Not like there's a lot of originality.
ReplyDeleteThe absurdity of the similarity is almost proof that they aren't intentionally ripping Mr. Hamill off. If they were, you think they would name it the EXACT SAME THING? Plagiarists are lazy scumbags, but they're at least self-interested lazy scumbags and aren't going to make it that obvious.
ReplyDeletePlus, I only read a synopsis, but I think the core concept is a little different. The show is about a medical examiner in present day, the book sounds like it's about a dude living through hundreds of years of New York history from his perspective. If the concept of "an immortal living in a big City" is enough, I think both these shows should be kicking some moolah to Highlander.
What I find interesting is these exact same people caused a bunch of noise over New Amsterdam on FOX as well. All the elements are so common in fiction I find it easy to believe these concepts weren't inspired by each other. Detectives in a big city, been used thousands of times. Immortality as well. But those guys didn't sue FOX so I'm thinking maybe it's a way to get exposure for this book or something. Wonder if it drives sales at all.
ReplyDeleteI read the story and my first thought is that it sounds like New Amsterdam too. It's not a new idea that's for sure. I would agree with you about it being a sales ploy if the book wasn't over 10 years old at this point, unless they have plans now to turn it into a TV show or move that they didn't in 2008 when New Amsterdam aired.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know about this show, but I like immortals so Hope the show airs.
ReplyDeleteThey are turning it into a TV show. Sundance Productions and Radical Media (who sent the letter) is working on it. http://screenrant.com/robert-redford-forever-tv-series-pete-hamill/
ReplyDeleteThis is obviously just an excuse to draw attention to the book, in my opinion. I read the synopsis of the novel on Amazon and it frankly sounds nothing like the TV Show. The protagonists only share the fact that they are immortal and live in New York (in the book he apparently needs to stay in Manhattan to remain immortal).
ReplyDeleteThey were born in different centuries and from what I understand the book is more of a tale of love and war through the centuries while the TV show is more of procuderal detective drama set in the present (possibly with flashbacks?).
I doubt they'll go through with the lawsuit honestly, because it's obvious they can't win and it's just going to cost them a lot of money (they probably don't have being a small editor). Yes, it sucks for them the new show used their title and had better luck, but that's just life... Find a better title (cos honestly "Forever" ain't that great) and try to get your show produced.
I doubt it's a ripoff. It's like saying every haunted house movie is a ripoff. Just because someone writes a story about an immortal living in the city doesn't mean no one else can write one. There are plenty of different movie plots and book plots that all take place with an immortal living in a big city.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree, it's probably just a publicity stunt from the writer. Either that or he has too much time on his hands.
ReplyDeleteAbout as much of a ripoff, as George Lucas' claim that Glen Larson ripped off Star Wars, with Battlestar Galactica TOS. Lucas claimed that spaceship vs. spaceship combat, was an invention of Star Wars. I guess he never heard of Star Trek?
ReplyDeleteI remember that. I never thought BG was anything like Star Wars, and I was a huge fan of TOS. Both SW and BG are nothing like each other. They just simply take place mostly in outer space and on ships, that's it.
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