The F1 Netflix Miniseries 'Senna' Sparks Copyright Lawsuit: A Tale of Creative Disputes
The world of Formula One racing and its captivating stories have now entered a legal battle. Netflix's highly anticipated miniseries 'Senna' has sparked a copyright lawsuit, with author Lauren Wild alleging that the series infringes upon his original script. This intense legal dispute revolves around the creative process and the challenges of bringing a visionary project to life.
Wild's journey began in 2013 when he met with T. Paul Miller, a former Sony Pictures executive, who expressed interest in a Senna project. Over time, Miller, now at Warner Bros. Entertainment, facilitated a meeting with Andrew Lazar, the producer of 'American Sniper.' This led to discussions about a Senna feature film, with Gullane Productions involved. However, Wild's script required significant revisions, prompting him to collaborate with Warner Bros. on the project.
The lawsuit reveals that Wild's treatment of the script and his other work on Senna were shared with Gabriel Lacerda, a producer at Gullane. As the project evolved, the plans shifted from a feature to a miniseries, and Wild wrote 11 episodes titled 'Built for Speed: Senna,' which were registered with the U.S. Copyright Office and the Writers Guild of America. Wild's dedication to the project was evident as he sent the first six episodes of his script to Lacerda.
In 2018, Fabiano Gullane, a partner at the production company, offered Wild the role of showrunner for the miniseries and cowriter for a Senna feature. Wild's lawyer negotiated preliminary terms, but a formal agreement never materialized. Gullane's communication abruptly ceased in 2019, informing Wild that resources were redirected to a different show.
Fast forward to 2024, when Netflix released the six-part series 'Senna.' Wild claims that the series is 'substantially similar' to his work, including characters and events he created. He accuses Netflix of neglecting due diligence before greenlighting the series. The lawsuit seeks to protect Wild's rights, alleging copyright infringement, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment. It aims to prevent further exploitation of the show by Gullane and Netflix, leaving the audience wondering about the creative process and the boundaries of inspiration.
