Charlie Kessler has filed a lawsuit against brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, alleging they took the idea for the sci-fi/supernatural series from his short film “Montauk” and a related feature film script titled “The Montauk Project,” to create their popular Netflix series.
According to Kessler, he met the brothers at a premiere party during the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2014, where he discussed the idea with them. The film follows the story of a young boy who goes missing, featuring an adjacent military base known for conducting experiments on kids and a creature from another dimension.
“Montauk,” won an award at the Hamptons Film Festival in 2012, was a found-footage sci-fi short that told the story of a violent event that took place in the Long Island community. The story appears to be similar to that of Stanger Things first season.
The lawsuit filed by Kessler states that he is looking for monetary damages due to a breach of implied contract, according to a source.
Neither Netflix nor Duffer brothers have yet to comment.
Stranger Things already has two seasons under its belt with a third season in the making. The series stars Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery and Gaten Matarazzo.
