The streaming movie of the moment in recent weeks has been ‘Predator: Prey’, which took a different course compared to the rest of its franchise, but did you know that it has been accused of plagiarism? And to top it off there are solid arguments.
It should not surprise us that in the middle of 2022, we find movies or series that pay tribute to old productions or simply took inspiration, but in the end they give it a different twist. However, the line that divides these last points with plagiarism is sometimes very small.. Now it’s been Predator: The Preyfilm of Star Plus and which stars Amber Midthunder and Dane DiLiegro, has been flagged for stealing the central idea of the story from another footage.
Let’s go by parts, the first thing you should know is that Depressor: The prey takes place 300 years before Predatora film made popular by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the late 1980s. The protagonist, Naru, is a young Comanche expert in tracking and hunting, so her only weapons are a bow, arrows and an axe. And of course, the film takes place in natural environments, mainly woods.
Star Plus This is what Naru looks like, the protagonist of ‘Depressor: The Prey’.
Wait a minute! are we not describing Warrior: Predator? It is a seven-minute short film directed by Chris R. Notarile that was released on his YouTube channel in 2019, its story follows a 16th century Native American, who must use all her skills in the wild to survive a pair of Predators using her knife and spear in the middle of… a forest!
Yes, the idea in principle is almost identical, even in the description of the footage Notarile mentions how his idea came about: “For a few years now, I’ve had the idea of an indigenous warrior taking on a Predator, but more specifically, that the entire short has zero dialogue. A few years ago I tried to make the short, but it was not possible. So I shelved the idea and put it aside.”
Blinky500
She is the protagonist of ‘Warrior: Predator’.
Of course, Notarile did not invent anything that is seen in his work, however, the appearance of his protagonist is very similar to the version of the director Dan Trachtenberg; from their straight hair, clothes, behavior and the same makeup on their faces that constitutes them as warriors.
‘Predator’: Know all the classes of hunters that exist
Is it really plagiarism?
In interview with LooperChris R. Notarile confessed that since he learned about the film by Star Plusimmediately took action on the matter trying to contact the director, but this did not result in anything: “the day it was announced Predator: The Prey (originally titled skulls) in November 2020, I wrote an email to the representatives of the director Daniel Trachtenberg with a link to my short Warrior: Predatorurging them to watch it to make sure they didn’t (intentionally or unintentionally) copy it.”
Blinky500
These are the hunter versions of the short film.
However, he only received a frivolous and routine response from Fox: “The Predator franchise will not infringe any protectable elements”which would ensure that the study, theoretically, would not touch any story that had been previously told, but this did not happen.
This bloodthirsty theory explains what kind of predators are sent to earth
Once it was released Star Plus the film with Dakota Beavers, Julian Black Antelope and Stefany Mathias, Notarile was sure that a study had stolen his idea, he even received recommendations from acquaintances that prompted him to sue.
Blinky500
‘Warrior: Predator’, also takes place in natural environments and has a protagonist similar to Naru.
Many people have suggested that I take some kind of legal action, or demand that I be credited/compensated for my contribution to Predator: Prey.
“And while that’s a nice feeling, I’m still the little guy on this stage. It would be an unwinnable uphill battle and would probably cause me more trouble than it’s worth.. At the end of the day, I’d rather just try to pitch one of my original scripts to a studio, over burning bridges with some frivolous court case.”
Blinky500
She is also an expert in combat with handmade weapons.
Seeing the visual aspect of Warrior: Predatormight as well redirect us to Predator: The Prey; the protagonist looks the same, the natural settings are similar and, essentially, it is the same story by having at least one Predator hunting a human. Despite the similarities, Chris R. Notarile preferred to avoid any legal conflict. Now tell us something: Do you consider that Predator: The Prey, is it really a plagiarism of the 2019 short film?
We wish to say thanks to the writer of this article for this remarkable content
‘Predator: Prey’ is accused of plagiarizing this amazing fan-film (Naru is identical!)