Is that Spinner on the right?
Eerie coincidences aren't unusual in ABC's Lost -- in fact, they're a driving force of the show's twisting-and-turning storyline. But television producer Anthony Spinner has a Lost co-inky-dink that isn't going to go over well at ABC.
According to court documents acquired by the gossip-hounds at TMZ.com, Spinner, a former producer on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Baretta, is suing ABC, claiming the company stole the idea for Lost from a television pilot he wrote way back in 1977.
If his claims are accurate, he may have a case. Spinner points out several similarities from his pilot script -- also titled Lost -- that are enough to make even the most rabid Lost fan look twice. His script allegedly features a Los Angeles-bound plane crashing in a tropical environment, "cold-weather animals in a warm tropical jungle" (Lost uses a polar bear, Spinner used a saber-toothed tiger), and the use of pre-crash flashbacks to provide character development, among other parallel plot points.
There are also striking similarities between characters, says Spinner, including a doctor who leads the group (Jack), a "trailblazer" who tries to convince the survivors to make the island home (Locke), a drug addict (Charlie), a military man whose skills are used for survival (Sayid), and a "stubborn and reluctant semi-hero" who challenges the doctor and has a shady father-son past (Sawyer).
Spinner, age 79, is suing for damages and a share of profits. He reportedly tried to sue a few years ago, but the suit was dismissed for procedural reasons. ABC has yet to comment.
We'll watch to see how this pans out (most suits of this nature don't go anywhere), but we'll also keep an eye out for proof that this could just be another case of creative publicity for Lost. It may be the conspiracy theorist in us, but 1977 -- the year Spinner's script was allegedly written -- is also the year season five ended in Lost's timeline. Maybe Spinner is from the Dharma Initiative? It wouldn't surprise us one bit if he made a special appearance at Comic-Con (which is, conveniently, less than two weeks away) as the Lost panel's "special guest."
Comments (27)
Sounds like he may have a case but if he has why has he waited so long to sue, Lost has been running now for five years and by this time next year will be well and truly over. He must have been aware of it before now and thought to himself at some point, hang on this all seems a bit familiar oh wait that's right i pitched it more than 30 years ago. If his claim is genuine then i hope he gets something out of ABC cos it's always the big company dumping on the little guy it'd be nice to have someone stick it to a conglomerate every once in awhile.
Well, maybe he traveled back in time to the seventies and rewrote the show there. LOL
legersem- it says in the article he tried to sue before.
well if the man is genuine and the evidence is there it is more tha reasonable to want a piece of the very profitable Lost pie.
Well, if the evidence is there, there should be a case. Why dismiss it, if the points are there? In the long run, the network may suffer more if it can go to court, whereas they might want to settle out of court. Or let the smoke monster decide their fates.
I didn't realize Anthony Spinner was still alive. I don't understand your snarky attitude in the last paragraph, though. The similarities do sound convincing. Who thought Art Buchwald had a case against Paramount? The show I most associate Spinner with is Cannon, and didn't he also produce Caribe, which was on ABC circa 1975?
Nice of him to wait until after the fifth season to sue ABC for one of their most successful series to date. You know, if anything, this just makes his claim seem less credible because he waited so long instead of pouncing on it straight away like a REAL person who thinks they've been plagirized would do.
I wrote couple stories too. Maybe, I can sue some TV stations, huh?
I think it is a bit late to sue. If it were anything real the guy should have tried to sue in the first season, not wait a couple years, file, drop the suit and then file again just before the new season. Sounds like a stunt to me.
I love lost as much as the next person but if you people actually took time to read the document.. this is lost.. he DID write it.. im sure they will settle out of court but if if he has proof which he does its pretty bad.. i mean some say its gilligans island it isnt.. i mean this guys script is EXACTLY the same as f'n lost
Lost, group of people stuck on an island. Hmmm, that sounds a bit like Gilligans Island. lol
This is kinda too much, perhaps it is a publicity stunt, it's more likely then anything else. And if Lost is copied from a pilot back in the 70s, all I have to say: GOOD JOB. This stolen idea turned out to be one of the best shows in television history. It's better to steal it good then to create it poorly.
Ugh these cases happen all the time! They don't end up going anywhere for obvious reasons. Everyone just wants to cash in on big franchises. It's really quite pathetic.
Say it ain't so!
I thought up lost in my mommas womb, check out the notes i made on your unterian wall!
I wrote a short story about ordinary people having super powers when I was in high school. Including a cheerleader who could heal. Maybe I should sue NBC Universal for Heroes.
Every idea is stolen or recycled nowdays.
Maybe it's a publicity trick or maybe Mr.Spinner travelled back in 1977 and wrote Lost's pilot script in the same way Hugo wrote the Empire Strikes Back script... :) :p
Come on...really, like the guy's the first person to come up with the idea of a plane crashing on a deserted island. The first part of it's a cliche. So two or three characters are kind of similar, big deal...there are a couple more things to the show :)
Jack wasn't suppose to lead the survivors! he died in the original pilot! ABC made Abrams and Lindelof change it... Every leader needs a few characters going against him.. The Locke-like character that wants to stay on the island is an obvious choice.. The leader wants to get off the island so what would be a good antagonist?! A character that wants to STAY on the island!!! Also, Sawyer wasn't seen as a hero until really the third season... Season two he stole everyone's guns and medicine!! He was a character we liked, but didn't starting becoming a hero till later... Who would best survive on an island?! A man trained from the army!.. The Charlie character was a has been rock star.. So the drug addict part obviously has to go with that character.. The cold-weather animals living in a tropical place is and obvious suprise to have on a tropical island... Know what aren't obvious surprises on an island? Hatches, a smoke monster, another mysterious group of people that whisper, etc.. If this guy had a black smoke monster on his pilot, I'de say sue.. Everything else that's the same isn't an amazing coincidence..moreless
I wrote a screenplay once about Airforce on getting hijacked and then they made airforce one. Maybe I should sue. I don't think this will get very far. But what ever as long as it doesn't effect the last season I don't care.
i'm not going to be shocked when this case doesn't go very far. because not only does he have to show proof of these similarities and that he wrote what he claims when he claimed. he has to prove that anyone that saw it at ABC in 1977, 1994 or 1997 (when he tried to sell it a second and third time) were still around when JJ pitched in 2003/4. and/or that JJ and company had access to his work to steal it.
Sure he did I thought Al Gore created it
Sure he did I thought Al Gore created it
I'll wager Spinner's script didn't include time travel.
I heard about this years ago. I don't think it's going to go anywhere. Case Dismissed!
I believe he's telling the truth. The claim is way to close to the actual storyline of Lost. ABC, prepared to be dried!