Showtime has been sued overYellowjackets, with the idea theft lawsuit claiming the TV show has a similar plot to a 2015 survival movie. The horror mystery series has become one of the biggest hits for the premium network, enthralling critics and audiences with the survival of a soccer team after a plane crash in Canada, as well as how their adult lives after escaping have been impacted.Yellowjacketsseason 3is currently in production, with a story planned through season 5 as of writing.
However,The Hollywood Reporterhas revealed a lawsuit has been filed against Showtime and Lionsgate by Eden Film Production,who claimYellowjacketscommitted idea theft against the 2015 filmEden. Both media involve a soccer team crash-landing in the wilderness, resorting to cannibalism for survival. They both also involve a coach, the child of a head coach, and someone of the opposite gender getting stuck in the wilderness with the team. The lawsuit claims the storytelling elements found in both media is enough grounds for the legal complaint:
In both works, the survivors, which include various players and the coach, among others, must fight for their lives against the harsh elements, starvation through dwindling resources, and the psychological toll of isolation in the form of growing darkness within themselves. As they struggle to survive, tensions rise, alliances form, dark secrets emerge, and moral boundaries are pushed to their limits—blurring the line between good and evil.
The lawsuit also claims both works feature a coach character suffering from similar events, and that both shows are “methodical, focusing on the characters’ struggles and their evolving relationships.” Eden Film Production also claims the theme of survival and exploration of cults are more grounds to sue.The company is seeking damagesand an injunction to haltYellowjacketsfrom continuing production. As of writing, neither Showtime nor Lionsgate has responded to the lawsuit.
What Eden’s Lawsuit Against Yellowjackets Means For The Show
Both Stories Are Similar, But Contain Stark Differences
Edenfollows the story of a men’s national soccer team whose plane crashes on a tropical islandin Malaysia on the return trip from a FIFA World Cup match. While the team tries surviving together at first, they eventually break into factions, with the group slowly whittling away as time goes on. While there are some similarities to the Showtime series, thetimeline ofYellowjacketsstands out because it also includes exploration of the survivors decades after their rescue. Hints of supernatural elements also help differentiate the series from the movie.
Is Yellowjackets Based On A True Story? Real-Life Inspirations Explained
Real-life events did inspire Showtime’s Yellowjackets, and the production has an intriguing history. We break down the stories behind the series.
The idea of plane crash survivors eating one another for survival isn’t novel either, as it’s something that’s happened in real life. In 1972,Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed in the Andes with a Uruguayan rugby football team as passengers. Survivors were forced to resort to cannibalism, eating those who succumbed to the crash and cold. Thetrue story was adapted inSociety of the Snow, a 2024 Netflix film, and was previously explored in 1976’sSurvive!and 1993’sAlive. This weakens the lawsuit, since bothEdenandYellowjacketscould have pulled inspiration from this event.
The most famous example of groups of people surviving in remote locations and turning against one another is William Golding’s 1954 novelLord of the Flies.
Our Take On Eden’s Lawsuit Against Yellowjackets
It Likely Doesn’t Have Enough Ground To Stand On
Despite the very similar initial premises ofEdenandYellowjackets, the Showtime series broadens its initial premise to explore survivor’s guilt, trauma, and potentially supernatural mysteries. Since both pieces of media likely pulled from real-world events or similar fictional works that came out before them,it’s dubious to claim the TV show stole ideas from the 2015 movie. Although their initial premises are similar, deep differences make it unlikely the lawsuit has any real ground to stand on.
Yellowjackets
Cast
Yellowjackets is a television series exploring the survival ordeal of a high school girls' soccer team stranded in the remote wilderness after a plane crash. It interweaves psychological horror and coming-of-age themes, simultaneously depicting their harrowing transformation and its lasting impact on their lives 25 years later.
