Duffer bros call 'Stranger Things' plagiarism charge 'completely meritless' "

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Press Trust of India Los Angeles
Last Updated : Apr 05 2018 | 4:40 PM IST

"Stranger Things" showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer have dismissed the plagiarism allegations against their hit Netflix show, calling the claims "completely meritless".

Filmmaker Charlie Kessler had claimed that the web series is based on his short film "Montauk" and a feature film script titled "The Montauk Project", an idea that he pitched to The Duffer Brothers, when he met them at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2014.

Yesterday, Kessler file a case against the two showrunners.

According to Deadline, an attorney for the director duo said the lawsuit is "just an attempt to profit" from the success of "Stranger Things".

"Mr. Kessler's claim is completely meritless. He had no connection to the creation or development of 'Stranger Things'.

"The Duffer Brothers have neither seen Mr Kessler's short film nor discussed any project with him. This is just an attempt to profit from other people's creativity and hard work," Alex Kohner, attorney for the Duffers, said.

Kessler claimed the talks between him and the Duffers did not come to fruition, but the director dup used the idea and to create "Stranger Things", which aired on the streaming site in 2016.

Incidentally, when Netflix had green lit the project in April 2015, it was titled "Montauk". The show was originally set in Montauk, Long Island, but eventually the setting was altered to Indiana.

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First Published: Apr 05 2018 | 4:40 PM IST

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