A federal judge has removed Will Smith as a defendant in the $1.7 million copyright infringement case brought by sci-fi author Ken Sibanda in relation to the 2019 film Gemini Man. While it has been decided that Smith had no involvement in the infringement, the case is expected to continue against the remaining defendants.
Sibanda wrote the sci-fi novel The Return to Gibraltar in 2011. When Gemini Man was released in 2019, Sibanda noticed several key similarities between the novel and the film and subsequently wrote to the now defendants in 2020. When no response was received, he then filed a lawsuit against Smith, Skydance Productions, Gemini Pictures, Paramount Pictures, David Ellison, and various other companies.
It is claimed by Sibanda that Gemini Man had been in development since 1997, and it wasn’t until he sent a copy of his book to a talent agency based in Los Angeles that the film made any progress. He claims that this is because the defendants lifted themes, plots, characters, context and cultural subtexts from the book, including the fact that the protagonist is a Harvard man. Additionally, he claims that a copy of the book was given to Smith’s stunt double in 2012.
The case is expected to continue if the parties cannot reach a settlement out of court.
If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact the team at McDaniels Law on 0191 281 4000 or legal@mcdanielslaw.com.
