Orphan Black Creators Sued for Cloning Writer’s Idea

Either the Orphan Black plot was cloned or the hit BBC show’s producers have some explaining to do. That is, at least, according to a writer suing BBC and Temple Street Productions for copyright infringement.

Writer Stephen Hendricks claims key aspects of the show are near carbon copies of plot points from a screenplay he submitted to Temple Street co-president, David Fortier, in 2004, according to a Huffington Post report. In the complaint, Hendricks says the protagonist in his screenplay “Double Double” and the protagonist in Orphan Black are both “young (early 20s) attractive women who want the same thing: to understand who they are and where they come from.” Cloning is also a recurring theme in Hendricks work, much like the BBC show about a young woman who discovers she and many others are clones.

Orphan Black’s creators are listed as Graeme Manson and John Fawcett, who reportedly sent a spec script to Fortier. Hendricks says they’re script has to be based off of his idea. He’s seeking $5 million in damages from the suit.

[Huffington Post]