The release of In Time, the new sci-fi thriller starring Justin Timberlake, may not actually be as punctual as the producers hoped, if author Harlan Ellison has his way.
According to Deadline, Ellison claims the upcoming movie - in which time is a commodity that can be given or taken away from a person's life - borrows heavily from his 1965 story, ''Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman, where failure to adhere to strict schedules results in the appropriate shortening offender's life. In the suit, Ellison claims the movie features character and plot elements from his story and is seeking financial compensation along with a screen credit.
The movie's core premise certainly does sound strikingly similar to the theme of Ellison's short story. Indeed, the author cites critic Richard Roper's comments from his Fall preview in which he - erroneously yet also quite astutely - states that the movie is ''based on a short story by the great Harlan Ellison.''
This isn't the first time Ellison has felt his work had been plagiarised by Hollywood. Ellison was given a writing credit for 1984's sci-fi thriller The Terminator after a court ruled the movie was based upon two Outer Limits episodes the author had penned.
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