In a swift and stunning reversal, Apple TV+ has indefinitely shelved its highly anticipated French-language thriller The Hunt just weeks before its December premiere, following explosive allegations that the series cribbed its core plot from Douglas Fairbairn’s obscure but influential 1973 novel Shoot. The controversy, which erupted like a plot twist from the series itself, has thrust the streaming giant into an awkward spotlight, forcing a rare public mea culpa and an internal investigation that could reshape the fate of the project.

The eight-episode drama, produced by Gaumont Television and directed by acclaimed French filmmaker Alice Winocour (Proxima, Sibyl), was positioned as Apple TV+’s big swing at international intrigue—a taut cat-and-mouse tale of a grizzled hunter stalked by his own past in the misty forests of rural France. Starring Vincent Cassel as the tormented protagonist and newcomer Léa Seydoux in a breakout role as his enigmatic daughter, The Hunt promised a blend of psychological tension and visceral action, with early buzz from test screenings hailing it as “the French Sicario.” Scheduled for a December 12 debut to capitalize on holiday bingeing, it was touted as a key tentpole for Apple’s expanding global content slate, alongside heavy-hitters like Severance Season 2.

But the dream imploded Monday when French media critic Clément Garin, a sharp-eyed columnist for Le Monde, blew the whistle in a blistering op-ed. Garin accused the series of “unabashed plagiarism,” drawing direct parallels between The Hunt‘s narrative—a reclusive marksman haunted by a botched poaching incident that spirals into a deadly game with shadowy pursuers—and Fairbairn’s Shoot, a lean, 200-page noir that follows a similar arc of isolation, guilt, and forest-bound retribution. Fairbairn’s novel, published by Random House to modest acclaim, was adapted into a 1976 low-budget film directed by Harvey Hart, starring Cliff Robertson as the unraveling hunter. Long out of print, Shoot has enjoyed a cult resurgence on platforms like Goodreads, where readers praise its “spare, savage prose” for anticipating modern survival thrillers like The Revenant.

Garin’s piece, titled “Apple’s Hunt: Stalking Stolen Shadows,” went viral within hours, amassing 2.5 million views on social media. He cited “verbatim echoes” in dialogue and scene structure—such as a pivotal monologue on the “intimacy of the kill” that mirrors a passage from Fairbairn’s book—and pointed to uncredited inspirations in the series bible. Apple Insider corroborated the claims with side-by-side script excerpts, fueling a digital firestorm. #ApplePlagiarism trended globally, with 1.8 million posts by evening, blending outrage from literary purists (“Stealing from the grave—classy, Cupertino”) to memes of Steve Jobs rising zombified to sue.

By midday Tuesday, Gaumont—the venerable French studio behind La Boum and The Intouchables—issued a terse statement to Variety: “We take intellectual property matters very seriously. Following these allegations, The Hunt has been temporarily postponed while we conduct a thorough internal review. The creative integrity of our projects is paramount, and we are committed to transparency and resolution.” Apple TV+ echoed the sentiment in a follow-up: “We support our partners in addressing concerns promptly. Updates will follow.” No timeline for resumption was given, leaving the £25 million production in limbo—its cast and crew, including Winocour, now in contractual purgatory.

The scandal strikes at Apple’s core ethos of innovation, especially after high-profile misfires like the 2023 Neuromancer adaptation debacle. Fairbairn’s estate, managed by his widow in upstate New York, has remained silent, but literary agent Jane Dystel hinted to Publishers Weekly: “Douglas’s work was ahead of its time; it’s flattering in a twisted way, but we’re exploring options.” Cassel, reached in Paris, deferred comment: “Art borrows—let’s see what the truth unearths.”

For streaming wars weary of originality droughts, this is a wake-up call. With Netflix and Prime Video churning out IP remakes, The Hunt‘s fate could signal a tougher stance on source material scrutiny. Fans, gutted by the pull, flood petitions for a “fair fix.” As Winocour told Cahiers du Cinéma pre-scandal: “Hunting stories are eternal—truth is the only prey worth chasing.” Ironically, that’s the hunt Apple now faces. Will The Hunt resurface cleansed, or become another ghost in the machine? The forest falls silent, waiting.