Alexander Payne sued: Luca writer says The Holdovers was copied from his unmade script
By Fuzzy Mushroom · Published
Screenwriter Simon Stephenson, who has credits on Paddington 2 and Luca, is suing Alexander Payne in a US federal court, claiming The Holdovers was built on his unproduced script Frisco, about a jaded doctor stuck looking after a precocious teenage patient. The suit says Payne read Frisco in 2013 and again in 2019 and passed both times, and it also names screenwriter David Hemingson, Miramax and Focus Features. Payne has already dismissed the claim once, calling it 'the stupidest thing in the world' at the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2024.
Lookalike stories happen all the time: copied script or coincidence?
How solid is this story?
Spore Score for the story: 73 (Solid). Status: Confirmed. Trades confirm: Federal copyright complaint, reported by Variety and TheWrap; Payne's earlier denial on record to Deadline (2024).
The films
- The Holdovers (2023): Spore Score 90, The Pros 90 vs The Punters 89
Sources
- Variety: Alexander Payne Hit With Copyright Suit Over 'The Holdovers' Script (28 October 2026)
- TheWrap: Alexander Payne Sued for 'The Holdovers' Copyright Infringement by 'Luca' Screenwriter (28 October 2026)
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