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6d ago

StudioFest Files Copyright Lawsuit Over Sundance Hit 'Together'

The lawsuit alleges Alison Brie, Dave Franco, and collaborators copied key elements from the 2023 indie film 'Better Half.'

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Alison Brie and director Dave Franco are named in a lawsuit that claims a new horror movie the married couple stars in, “Together,” is a “blatant rip-off” of a 2023 independent film.
'Together'
Dave Franco and Alison Brie attend the SXSW premiere of "Together" on March 7, 2025. (Credit: Rick Kern/WireImage)

Overview

  • StudioFest has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Alison Brie, Dave Franco, writer-director Michael Shanks, WME, and distributor Neon in Los Angeles Superior Court.
  • The lawsuit claims 'Together' replicates significant plot and thematic elements from the 2023 indie film 'Better Half,' including a couple fused together as a metaphor for codependency.
  • StudioFest alleges that Brie and Franco turned down an offer to star in 'Better Half' in 2020 after receiving the full script, only to later produce a similar film.
  • Specific parallels cited include identical dialogue referencing Plato’s Symposium, similar plot sequences, and the use of a Spice Girls vinyl record in pivotal scenes.
  • WME has dismissed the lawsuit as 'frivolous and without merit,' while Neon plans to release 'Together' in August 2025 following its $17 million Sundance acquisition.