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The filmmaker behind a Hindi-language movie called “Luck” is suing Netflix in federal court, alleging that the massively successful show “Squid Game” stole from his own project, which as released back in 2009 (per TMZ and Fortune). In a suit filed in New York on Friday, writer-director Soham Shah claimed that, “The main plot, characters, themes, mood, setting and sequence of events of ‘Squid Game’ are strikingly similar to that of ‘Luck,’ defying any likelihood that such similarities could be coincidence.”
Shah is suing for unspecified damages, but he’s also seeking an injunction in an attempt to stop Netflix from continuing to market and make money from “Squid Game” and related properties, which his suit says continue to infringe upon his rights. While this type of lawsuit is fairly common (and difficult to prove in the plaintiff’s favor), it can also be a drawn-out and expensive process for all involved. Last year, a lawsuit from 2020 against the streamer’s other huge hit show, “Stranger Things,” was finally dropped — three years after being filed and just weeks before going to trial.
Unlike many similar suits, though, Shah doesn’t seem to be alleging a specific link between the cast or crew of “Luck” and that of “Squid Games” that could have led to the alleged plagiarism. Instead, his suit reportedly claims that the 2009 film was widely available due to “considerable advertising and marketing.” This could have led to “Squid Game” ripping off the film when (according to TMZ’s take on the plaintiff’s theory) someone involved in the show — presumably series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who’s said he wrote the show in 2009 — saw “Luck.”
Shah’s suit argues that both stories feature a “group of desperate, indebted people enticed to take part in a series of competitive games to win large sums of money,” only to later discover that losing the game means dying. TMZ’s summary of the filing documents alleges that Shah’s film also included “wealthy onlookers gambling on the players and reveling in the high-stakes competition,” all while the players try to stay alive without selling their souls in the process.
Netflix says that the Squid Game lawsuit ‘has no merit’
Of course, there are other major properties featuring a group of people competing for a cash prize in a game that turns out to be deadly, like 2019’s “Escape Room.” That movie also reveals that the torture games are entertainment for wealthy viewers, an idea rooted in the urban legend of “red rooms.” And both “Escape Room” and “Squid Game” also no doubt owe some of their inspiration to mega-popular series “The Hunger Games” and its own precursor, the Japanese horror franchise “Battle Royale.”
A representative for Netflix made a statement regarding the lawsuit to Fortune, saying simply: “This claim has no merit. ‘Squid Game’ was created by and written by Hwang Dong Hyuk and we intend to defend this matter vigorously.”
“Luck” made less than a half a million dollars in theaters worldwide, though it’s worth noting that Shah’s claim of the film earning publicity is partially backed up by several award nominations star Shruti Haasan earned for her role. A 2009 review of “Luck” from The Indian Express described the plot as follows:
“Ram is an average Joe who needs a lot of money. So does Ayesha, and Major, and Shortcut. Along comes Big Betting Man Musa and his right-hand man, who gather up this cash-strapped lot and transport them to South Africa, where they play on their luck, for their lives.”
“Squid Game” became a famously lucrative franchise for Netflix nearly overnight when its first season aired in 2021. Bloomberg has reported that the series and its associated merchandise and tie-ins are worth a whopping $900 million and counting.
“Squid Game” season 2 is set to release on December 26, 2024.
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