Author Harlan Ellison has filed a lawsuit claiming that the Justin Timberlake film In Time copies his 1965 sci-fi story Repent, Harlequin! Said The Ticktockman.
The New Regency movie is distributed by 20th Century Fox and also stars Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy.
Ellison filed the lawsuit in California on Wednesday and names Regency and director Andrew Niccol as defendants.
In Time is due to hit cinemas in the US on 28 October but Ellison has also requested an injunction to halt the release and demanded that all copies of the film are destroyed.
Ellison's company, The Kilimanjaro Corporation, began developing its own script based on the short story in 2010 and the author says In Time jeopardises the production of that movie.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Can Harlan Ellison really stop this film from being released? And do you think it rips off his classic sci-fi tale? Take time to tell us below!
Comments
ShosannaD
Sep 16th 2011, 0:14
In Time, has been in production since 2010, I read an article in Entertainment Weekly talking about this movie, and who should play the part. Even naming Justin Timberlake as a possibility. So they are going to have a hard time proving anything. http://insidemovies.ew.com/2010/07/28/justin-timberlake-to-star-in-im-mortal/ It's a different title but the story line is the same storyline, I have been waiting for this movie for a long time. All I have to say is THEY BETTER NOT STOP IT!
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liamio2802
Sep 16th 2011, 1:28
The short story was written in 1965 I have no idea of how similar this film is to the short story but your idea that In Time somehow pre-dates Repent, Harlequin! Said The Ticktockman is unfounded. At least i think that was your point . . . . . . . . Who knows???
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writerdave87
Sep 16th 2011, 6:32
That comment was worthy of dalidab.
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chaosdefined
Sep 16th 2011, 10:04
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22Repent,_Harlequin!%22_Said_the_Ticktockman Reading the plot from the book, there is only one similarity, which is that time is a commodity and you can 'run out of time' literally. However there are major differences which set them apart. I don't think the Author will win the court battle to be honest.
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fipthetop
Sep 16th 2011, 12:07
Looking at the trailer I thought it was a rip off of Logan's run more then anything. This'll be thrown out
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GarthMarenghi
Sep 16th 2011, 21:48
Ellison is a litigious old goat. He got a credit on The Terminator because he sued James Cameron and the producers for allegedly ripping off a couple of his Outer Limits episodes. Cameron in response refers to Ellison as a parasite, and it's hard to disagree. If every film that was considered a little bit derivative of something else was destroyed, we wouldn't have anything left to watch!
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