The wilderness isn’t the only threat when it comes to Yellowjackets. According to Deadline, Showtime — the network behind the critically acclaimed Emmy nominated series — is being sued for copyright infringement. The lawsuit, which was filed last week in New York federal court, claims that Yellowjackets stole its idea and numerous other aspects from the 2015 survival thriller Eden from filmmaker Syam Madiraju. In addition to Showtime, the lawsuit also names the studio behind the series, Lionsgate, and series creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson. The suit is seeking unspecified damages as well as an injunction against the makers of the series.
Yellowjackets follows a high school girls’ soccer team whose plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness while on the way to nationals in 1996. The survivors find themselves dealing with the harsh conditions of the wilderness and the challenges of survival and things take increasingly dark turns — including cannibalism — while the present-day storyline examines their lives after rescue and the dark secrets that continue to impact them. In Eden, which was written by Nate Parker and distributed by Voltage Pictures, the U.S. men’s national soccer team’s plane crashes on an uninhabited tropical island on the way back home after a World Cup match with the survivors having to deal with not only the harsh environment and survival, but also sees several dark turns, including cannibalism and choices that cross. the line between good and evil. The lawsuit claims that “most substantive elements” of Yellowjackets are lifted from Eden.
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“In both works, the survivors, which include various players and the coach, among others, must fight for their lives against the harsh elements, starvation through dwindling resources, and the psychological toll of isolation in the form of growing darkness within themselves,” the lawsuit alleges. “As they struggle to survive, tensions rise, alliances form, dark secrets emerge, and moral boundaries are pushed to their limits — blurring the line between good and evil.”
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Some of those specifically “copied” elements claimed in the lawsuit include themes, plots elements, setting, characters, and even dialogue.
“Comparing the Film to the Show’s plots, setting, mood, pace, stories, characters, sequence of events, themes, and scene/dialogue similarities, demonstrates that the two works, in most respects, are identical,” the lawsuit reads. “These substantially, strikingly similar elements leave little doubt that most substantive elements of Yellowjackets are copied from Eden.”
While, on the surface, there do appear to be some basic similarities between Yellowjackets and Eden, stories of plane crashes and survival with dark turns aren’t an uncommon trope or theme in entertainment. Lost, in particular comes to mind however, regarding Yellowjackets specifically, Lyle and Nickerson have previously indicated that they drew inspiration for the series from a real-life tragedy: the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in the Andes mountains in 1972. That crash, which involved a Uruguayan rugby team heading to a match in Chile, has inspired numerous books and films, including 1993’s Alive which starred Ethan Hawke.
As for Yellowjackets, the series is set to return for its third season on Paramount+ with Showtime sometime in early 2025 with the series picking up from some devastating developments at the end of Season 2 — specifically the shocking death of adult Natalie (Juliette Lewis). Season 3 will also see some answers to some of the big questions the series has posed to date, according to Lyle.
“There are at least two very big questions with very clear answers,” Lyle said.
Seasons 1 and 2 of Yellowjackets are now streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime.