The monkey that’s long clung to the back of Stranger Things has suddenly retreated: As per Deadline, the plagiarism suit against the show’s creators Matt and Ross Duffer has been suddenly withdrawn, a mere two days before the lawsuit was set to go to trial.
On Sunday, the plaintiff, filmmaker Charles Kessler, issued a statement, rescinding his claims that the brothers stole his ideas to create their Netflix hit.
“After hearing the deposition testimony this week of the legal expert I hired, it is now apparent to me that, whatever I may have believed in the past, my work had nothing to do with the creation of Stranger Things,” Keseler said in a statement. “Documents from 2010 and 2013 prove that the Duffers independently created their show. As a result, I have withdrawn my claim and I will be making no further comment on this matter.”
Netflix, who has stood by the Duffers throughout the accusations, were quick to issue a statement.
“We are glad to be able to put this baseless lawsuit behind us. As we have said all along, Stranger Things is a ground-breaking original creation by The Duffer Brothers. … We are proud of this show and of our friends Matt and Ross, whose artistic vision gave life to Stranger Things, and whose passion, imagination and relentless hard work alongside our talented cast and crew made it a wildly successful, award-winning series beloved by viewers around the world.”
The trial, which was to begin on May 7, would have centered around Kessler’s claims that he met the Duffers at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, at which he pitched them a concept that he claimed became Stranger Things. Kessler’s pitch, under the working title The Montauk Project, was said to concern “various urban legends, and paranormal and conspiracy theories” that crop up in a Long Island town. Of note is that Stranger Things was initially called Montauk before it was relocated to Indiana. The Duffers denied Kessler’s accusations.
Kessler changed his mind, though, reportedly after his lawyers’ own expert viewed documents in the deposition that undermined Kessler’s conviction that the Duffers stole his idea.
(Via Deadline)
