Dave Franco + Alison Brie = Lawsuit

Plus: The Bear's last season?, Nic Cage as John Madden, and Jet Li's intro to US.

Author

Brock Swinson
May 16, 2025

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FEATURE

🧠 Body Horror or Bodily Theft? The $17M Sundance Sensation That's Headed to Court

A horror movie about two people physically fused together is now creating drama in real life. Hollywood power couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco face a lawsuit claiming their Sundance hit "Together" is a "blatant rip-off" of another indie film. Here's the sticky situation:

THE $17 MILLION QUESTION

Brie and Franco's body horror film "Together" became the talk of Sundance this year, triggering a fierce bidding war that ended with distributor Neon dropping a reported $17 million for rights.

But according to a bombshell lawsuit dropped Tuesday, this fusion horror wasn't their original idea. Filmmakers Jess Jacklin and Charles Beale claim the A-list couple stole the concept from their 2023 indie film "Better Half" after being pitched the project years earlier.

THE ALLEGED COPY-AND-PASTE JOB

The similarities? According to the lawsuit, they're far more than coincidental (major spoilers here for the films ⚠️):

  • Both films feature couples who become physically fused together

  • Both show the characters struggling to control each other's body parts

  • Both include attempts to separate using medical intervention and chainsaws

  • Both feature a "near verbatim" reference to Plato's Symposium

  • Both include a bathroom sequence where the protagonists are attached at the genitals

  • Both end with the couples pulling out a vinyl copy of the Spice Girls' "Spiceworld" album

THE REJECTION-TO-REPLICATION TIMELINE

The lawsuit lays out a suspicious sequence:

  • 2020: The "Better Half" team emails Franco and Brie's agents at WME, pitching them the concept and offering starring roles

  • Same day in 2020: Franco's agent quickly declines with "Dave is going to pass, but thank you for thinking of him"

  • January 2025: "Together" premieres at Sundance to massive buzz and an eight-figure sale

  • One day before Sundance screening: Jacklin and Beale learn about "Together" and decide to watch it

"As the audience laughed and cheered, Jacklin and Beale sat in stunned silence, their worst nightmare unfolding," the lawsuit states.

"Scene after scene confirmed that Defendants did not simply take 'stock ideas' or 'scenes a faire' but stole virtually every unique aspect of 'Better Half's' copyrightable expression."

THE ALLEGED SCHEME

The suit goes further than claiming accidental similarity. It alleges an "intentional scheme" where Franco and Brie rejected the original pitch "because they wanted to produce the film themselves and have WME package the project with one of the agency's own writers."

The lawsuit names multiple defendants:

  • Alison Brie

  • Dave Franco

  • Talent agency WME

  • Writer-director Michael Shanks

  • Distributor Neon

"Better Half" marked the feature debut of writer-director Patrick Henry Phelan, who:

  • Worked as an assistant director in New York

  • Earned an MFA in screenwriting from USC

  • Originally positioned the film as a romantic comedy, not horror

THE HIGH-CONCEPT CORE

Both films center on the surreal premise of a couple who have a one-night stand and wake up to discover they've become physically attached to each other.

While "Better Half" was billed as a "surreal, satirical comedy" at the Brooklyn Film Festival, "Together" has been marketed as a body horror film with comedic elements—a distinction that may prove critical in the legal battle ahead.

Despite the lawsuit, Neon still plans to release "Together" on August 1, setting up what could be a dramatic summer for everyone involved.

Whether this is a case of cryptomnesia (unconscious plagiarism), inspiration, or actual copyright infringement will be for the courts to decide. But it clearly demonstrates that in Hollywood, even the most unique body horror concept can create nightmares beyond the screen.

PUNCHLINES