Delayed Apple TV Thriller Accused Of Plagiarism Gets New Release Date After Investigation

by

Following an internal review, has announced a new release date for its latest high-quality television series, which was previously delayed.

Okay, so I was really excited about this French thriller, The Hunt (originally Traqués), coming to Apple TV+. But there was a bit of a snag. Apparently, the production company, Gaumont, discovered the storyline was pretty similar to a 1973 novel called Shoot by Douglas Fairbairn, and they had to investigate. Thankfully, they’ve sorted everything out, and it looks like The Hunt is finally going to premiere on the streaming service – which is great news for those of us who love a good, suspenseful drama!

According to Deadline, Apple TV+ will release The Hunt on March 4th. This is three months later than its initially planned debut of December 3rd. While Cédric Anger was first listed as the series creator, it’s now described as “a series by Anger based on the novel Shoot by Douglas Fairbairn,” which was previously made into a film of the same name directed by Harvey Hart, with a screenplay by Richard Berg.

In the thriller The Hunt, Franck (Benoît Magimel) and his friends find their regular hunting trip turned into a terrifying game when they’re unexpectedly attacked by another group. After a brutal fight, Franck attempts to resume his life, but lives in fear of retaliation. The film also features Mélanie Laurent, Damien Bonnard, Manuel Guillot, Cédric Appietto, and Frédéric Maranber.

The upcoming series, The Hunt, will consist of six one-hour episodes. Since the author of the original work, Douglas Fairburn, died in 1997, Gaumont secured the rights from the current owners of Shoot. Gaumont has also issued a statement addressing concerns about plagiarism and outlining the steps they’ve taken.

The movie The Hunt, initially planned for release in December 2025, was delayed after it came to light in November 2025 that it heavily borrowed from an earlier work called Shoot by Douglas Fairbairn. The project had been presented as entirely original.

Once Gaumont, the producer of the series, learned about this, they quickly worked to find the copyright owners and get permission to use the material.

Gaumont believes protecting creative work and respecting artists’ rights is essential, and this can only happen when artists trust us and we’re open and honest with them.

Sidone Dumas, Isabelle Degeorges, Clémentine Vaudaux, and Alexis Barqueiro of Gaumont are executive producers on the new series. Frédéric Anger directed five episodes, with Guillaume Renusson directing the third. The Hunt adds to Apple TV+’s collection of high-quality shows, helping the platform become a leading force in television.

Apple TV+ received four nominations out of twelve for its series in the top two Best Television Series categories at the 2026 Golden Globes, and viewers are eagerly anticipating its popular psychological thrillers. With seasons three of Severance and two of Pluribus still a ways off, new thrillers like The Hunt could be just the thing to satisfy fans.

The story behind the series The Hunt is quite intriguing. There’s a debate over whether the show deliberately borrowed from another work without giving credit, or if the resemblances are just accidental. Now that Gaumont has clarified the situation, it’s up to viewers to decide if The Hunt ranks among the top shows on Apple TV+.

The new series, The Hunt, will begin streaming on Apple TV on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Each week, a new episode will be released until April 1st.

Read More

2026-02-19 19:00