Alison Brie and Dave Franco are facing a copyright infringement lawsuit over Together, their independent horror film that sold for $17 million after a bidding war at the Sundance Film Festival.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, claims Together is a “blatant rip-off” of Better Half, a 2023 indie film. According to the complaint, both films share the concept of a couple who become physically fused together, along with similar plot points, themes, and even a nearly identical reference to Plato’s Symposium.
Brie and Franco, who are married and frequent collaborators, allegedly passed on Better Half when it was pitched to them in 2020. The suit claims they and their agents at WME rejected the offer but later produced a film with “striking similarities.”
Producers of Better Half, Jess Jacklin and Charles Beale, discovered Together just before its Sundance screening. They attended the premiere to assess the film themselves.
“As the audience laughed and cheered, Jacklin and Beale sat in stunned silence, their worst nightmare unfolding,” the complaint states. “Scene after scene confirmed that Defendants stole virtually every unique aspect of Better Half’s copyrightable expression.”
The suit accuses Brie, Franco, WME, writer-director Michael Shanks, and distributor Neon of participating in an “intentional scheme” to copy the film. Neon acquired Together at Sundance and plans to release it on August 1.
A WME spokesperson dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous and without merit,” adding, “We plan to vigorously defend ourselves.”
Better Half was written and directed by Patrick Henry Phelan. It was his feature debut, produced by StudioFest, the sole named plaintiff. The suit claims Phelan’s team sent a script and synopsis to Brie and Franco’s agents in August 2020, offering them the lead roles. Franco’s agent quickly declined the offer.
The synopsis described Better Half as “a surreal, satirical comedy about a man and a woman who have a one-night stand, and wake up literally and physically attached.” The pitch did not mention horror elements. At the Brooklyn Film Festival, the film was promoted as a romantic comedy.
The lawsuit details specific alleged similarities between the two films. Both stories follow a couple struggling with their physical attachment, progressing from desperate separation attempts to eventual acceptance.
One scene highlighted in the suit involves a comedic bathroom sequence where the couple becomes attached at the genitals while trying to hide their situation from another character. Both films also allegedly end with the couple pulling out a vinyl copy of the Spice Girls’ Spiceworld album as they accept their fate.
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