and Apple are being sued for $81 million over alleged copyright regarding the television series Servant. Created by Tony Basgallop, Servant premiered on Apple TV+ in November 2019.
The psychological horror series ran for four seasons, with the conclusion premiering in March 2023. Shyamalan served as the showrunner for Servant and as an executive producer.
Per Variety, Shyamalan and Apple are now being sued for $81 million by Francesca Gregorini, an Italian-born director who alleges the series stole “key elements” from her 2013 movie The Truth About Emanuel. “Her attorney, Patrick Arenz, showed jurors clips of both projects during his opening statement on Tuesday in federal court in Riverside, Calif.
He argued that both depict a delusional mother who cares for a doll as though it is a real baby, and a nanny who is complicit in the delusion,” Variety’s article notes.
Arenx told the jury, “This is a simple case. There would be no Servant without Emanuel.” The defense’s attorney, Brittany Amadi, meanwhile argued that development on Servant began before The Truth About Emanuel was ever released. “Ms.