Bestselling Author Sues Warner Bros. Over ‘Prodigal Son’ Show
A writer is suing Warner Bros. for allegedly copying the premise of, and lifting direct bits of dialogue from, his book series about the hunt for a copycat serial killer.
Author Barry Lyga says the studio originally held the option for his New York Times bestselling novel I Hunt Killers back in 2011, a year before it was even published. The novel and its two sequels center on Jasper “Jazz” Dent, the teen son of famous serial killer William “Billy” Dent. When another killer begins copying his dad’s murders, Jazz must confront his estranged father in prison in an effort to stop the new string of crimes.
Warner Bros. Television renewed the option twice and assigned a showrunner to create a pilot for ABC Family before eventually abandoning the project in 2014, according to a federal lawsuit filed last week in the Central District of California. Lyga claims Warner’s biggest issue was his protagonist’s age.