As a devoted admirer, I’m excited to share that Showtime Networks and Lionsgate’s Entertainment One have successfully defended themselves against allegations claiming they plagiarized the 2015 survival thriller, Eden, in their series Yellowjackets.
As an avid fan, I’ve found myself intrigued by two captivating stories: one about a soccer team who, in a twist of fate, crash-land on a remote island and start displaying behaviors reminiscent of a cult, even contemplating cannibalism. The other tale shares similarities, but it’s the U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson who, on Friday, declared that these stories aren’t close enough in plot, characters, themes, or settings to be considered copyright infringement.
In 2015, the movie “Eden,” penned by Nate Parker and distributed by Voltage Pictures, hit the screens. On the other hand, the highly praised show “Yellowjackets” premiered in 2021 and garnered much attention. Its second season premiere was the studio’s most-streamed debut to date, with approximately 2 million viewers tuning in across various platforms. The third season as a whole saw more viewers than any other, with its finale attracting around three million viewers within the first seven days of its release.
The court considered the claim that the movie and TV show had similar plots as one of its points of discussion. Judge Pregerson observed that the current timeline in Yellowjackets “shows very few similarities” to the story of Eden.
In the argument made by the creators of the movie “Eden“, it was suggested that the film subtly hints at cannibalism. However, the court disagreed, stating that the central theme of the plot revolves around the characters’ internal struggle over whether to withhold food from wounded survivors. Throughout the 14-day duration of the film, the main character’s group manages to find food without engaging in or even contemplating cannibalism, as ruled by the court.
The court noted other comparable elements, which are often seen in numerous survival-themed movies, including:
1. The tragic demise of a main character, such as a head coach, and the miraculous survival of his or her offspring.
2. Efforts made by survivors to break free from isolation.
3. The emergence of groups splitting into opposing factions among the survivors.
It’s undeniable that attempts to escape after shipwrecks or being stranded are frequently portrayed in both fiction and reality, ranging from characters like Odysseus, Robinson Crusoe, and Gilligan, to real-life survivors such as Shackleton and the Uruguayan rugby team. Similarly, instances of competition, tribalism, and internal conflicts arising in disaster situations or due to resource scarcity are quite common. These can be found in works like ‘The Tempest’, ‘Survivor’, and many post-apocalyptic genres, including the ‘Mad Max’ series or various zombie narratives, and most iconically, ‘Lord of the Flies.’
In my perspective as a passionate admirer, it’s only logical that the two stories, with their similar narrative threads, would resonate in a comparable manner. They stated this by saying, “It’s challenging to conceive how any profound drama encompassing a descent into ritualized cannibalism, and its subsequent impacts, could potentially omit elements of gravity and introspective pondering.
In his decision, Judge Pregerson dismissed claims that the characters and settings in “Eden” and “Yellowjackets” are similar. Although the survivors in “Eden” have Slim, an adult, male, Black athlete with a strong moral compass, Jackie from the TV show is portrayed as a “teenage, white, self-centered girl who whines frequently,” eventually ostracized by her peers.
The judge further emphasized that Eden doesn’t resemble the cold Canadian wilderness portrayed in Yellowjackets; instead, it’s located on an inhospitable tropical island. He also pointed out that the desolate environment mentioned by the Plaintiff is often a shared feature among survival stories, such as real-life events like the struggles of the Uruguayan rugby team in the Andes or the Donner Party in the Sierra Nevada. Pregerson concluded his statement with this observation.
Showtime didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Over recent years, individuals and entities with copyrights have become increasingly assertive in filing lawsuits over alleged idea theft. There’s been an effort by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to limit early dismissals of copyright infringement cases. In 2022, this court overturned the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing M. Night Shyamalan of plagiarizing a 2013 independent film for his Apple TV+ series “Servant.” This decision followed the reinstatement of a copyright lawsuit against Disney, claiming they stole ideas for the first “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, as well as a similar verdict in the case of “The Shape of Water.” The court determined that these cases were wrongly dismissed because reasonable people could have differing opinions on whether the works are significantly alike.
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2025-04-29 02:24