# Alexander Payne Sued by ‘Luca’ Screenwriter Over Plagiarism on ‘The Holdovers’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/alexander-payne-sued-by-luca-screenwriter-over-plagiarism-on-the-holdovers/
- Published: 2026-10-29T00:08:00+00:00
- Original publisher: The Hollywood Reporter
- Original article: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/alexander-payne-sued-plagiarism-the-holdovers-luca-screenwriter-1236741370/
- Topics: Film

## Key points

- Stephenson alleges *The Holdovers* copied his screenplay *Frisco*.
- He says Payne received the script in 2013 and 2019.
- He seeks damages and an order that could restrict the film’s use.

## Summary

New source coverage has been added to the developing dispute, in which screenwriter Simon Stephenson is suing director Alexander Payne and others over alleged copying in *The Holdovers*. Stephenson claims the Oscar-winning film uses major elements from his screenplay *Frisco*, and seeks damages and a court order that could stop further exploitation of the film; the allegations have not been proven.

Stephenson says Payne received *Frisco* in 2013 and again in 2019, before working with screenwriter David Hemingson on *The Holdovers*. Both stories feature a difficult adult responsible for teenagers, and the lawsuit cites details including an unexplained reference to a medical conference. *Frisco* appeared on the 2013 Black List of notable unproduced scripts, while *The Holdovers* received five Oscar nominations in 2024; the Writers Guild previously declined to hear the dispute because copyright claims were outside its remit.

## Coverage

- [The Hollywood Reporter: Alexander Payne Sued by ‘Luca’ Screenwriter Over Plagiarism on ‘The Holdovers’](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/alexander-payne-sued-plagiarism-the-holdovers-luca-screenwriter-1236741370/)
- [Variety: Alexander Payne Hit With Copyright Suit Over ‘The Holdovers’ Script](https://variety.com/2026/film/news/alexander-payne-holdovers-suit-1236933696/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.