Movies
FINALLY Someone Notices ‘Disturbia’ IS ‘Rear Window’
Even when the film was coming out, the studio was telling people that the teen-thriller Disturbia was basically a remake of REAR WINDOW, only re-imagined. This morning we caught wind of an article on THR where it was revealed that a lawsuit has finally been filed contending that DreamWorks’ film is straight out plagiarism. We agree, let’s see what the courts rule. Read on for the story.
DreamWorks’ “Disturbia” is a rip-off of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window,” according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Manhattan federal court.
According to the Sheldon Abend Revocable Trust, which owns the rights to Cornell Woolrich’s short story “Murder From a Fixed Viewpoint,” Hitchcock legally obtained the rights to turn the short story into a big-screen thriller in 1953. However, the trust claims DreamWorks did not do the same.
The lawsuit contends that “Disturbia” and “Rear Window” are “essentially the same” stories. Both are murder mysteries solved by a man peering from his window and witnessing strange behavior by a neighbor.
The characters in the films — as well as the short story — are similar, and the plots unfold basically the same way, the lawsuit states.
“What the defendants have been unwilling to do openly, legitimately and legally, (they) have done surreptitiously, by their back-door use of the ‘Rear Window’ story without paying compensation,” the lawsuit states.
Also named as defendants are Steven Spielberg, who declined comment through a spokesman. Reps for DreamWorks parent company Viacom did not immediately comment.
Bram Stoker Award-winning novel The Fisherman from John Langan is getting a film adaptation, and David Lowery (The Green Knight, Mother Mary) will direct for Focus Features.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news this afternoon.
THR details, “Langan’s novel told the story of Abe and Dan, two widowers who bond together with fishing getaways in upstate New York as way to cope with their grief. One day, however, Dan suggests that pair try a new spot, an isolated and mysterious spot named Dutchman’s Creek, which is whispered to allow a person to see their lost loved ones.
“Even a spooky tale from a man in a diner detailing the terrible history of the creek can’t stop these two men, who eventually find themselves face to face with Der Fisher, aka The Fisherman. They probably should have just stayed home that weekend.”
David Lowery will co-write the film adaptation with Alex Ross Perry. Producers include Michael Bay and Brad Fuller for Platinum Dunes, and Gary Dauberman for Coin Operated.
John Langan’s novel The Fisherman was published back in 2016.
A cover quote from author Laird Barron raves, “The Fisherman is an epic, yet intimate, horror novel. Langan channels M.R. James, Robert E. Howard, and Norman Maclean.”
“What you get is A River Runs Through It… Straight to hell,” the quote continues.
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