A filmmaker has simply sued Netflix, LeBron James, the NBA star’s manufacturing firm and a bunch of others … claiming they stole one in every of his scripts — after which used it as the premise for one in every of their latest hit basketball films.
Rob Grabow — a screenwriter who directed the 2023 drama “The Year of the Dog” — spelled out the allegations in a 25-page lawsuit … that was filed on Thursday in a California federal courtroom.
Grabow states he had written a script for “The Gift of the Game” — and it was all a couple of Native American excessive schooler and his efforts to guide his basketball group to a state title.
Grabow claims the work was “a powerful basketball film that deals with issues of community, race relations and poverty” — however he says after he shared it with folks near Netflix, James and the hooper’s SpringHill Firm ripped off the concept and repackaged it for a 2024 flick titled, “Rez Ball.”
Within the go well with, Grabow states the similarities between his film and Netflix’s are staggering.
He cites a number of situations … together with the work’s ending, when (spoiler alert) — the protagonist is fouled whereas making an attempt to make the profitable basket throughout the championship recreation.
“There are numerous substantially and strikingly similar concrete and expressive elements in the two works’ plot, theme, dialogue, mood, setting, pace, characters and sequence of events,” Grabow wrote within the go well with.
He claims “Rez Ball” is definitely nearer to his screenplay than the guide it was supposedly impressed by.
Grabow is suing for copyright infringement, breach of contract and extra … and is asking for unspecified damages.
We have reached out to Netflix for remark, however to date, no phrase again but.
