'The Shape of Water' plagiarism case reportedly dismissed

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated Apr 5, 2021 2:00 PM ET

The family of late Paul Zindel first took Guillermo del Toro and Fox Searchlight to court in February 2018, and according to the The Hollywood Reporter's Eriq Gardner, any claims that The Shape of Water was plagiarized have been put to bed.

Gardner shared a statement provided by an unnamed Searchlight spokesperson, which was given in response to Gardner reaching out about "an agreement to dismiss the case": "David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of Let Me Hear You Whisper, acknowledges, based on confidential information obtained during the litigation process, that his claims of plagiarism are unfounded. He acknowledges Guillermo del Toro as the true creator of The Shape of Water. Any similarity between the two works is coincidental."

The Shape of Water hit theaters in December 2017. The fantastical drama was directed del Toro, who wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay with Vanessa Taylor. The cast boasted the A-list likes of Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins, Sally Hawkins and Michael Shannon.

A little over a week after Paul Zindel's son, David, and family originally sued for copying the Pulitzer Prize winner's 1969 play Let Me Hear You Whisper—more specifically, failing "to seek or obtain a customary license"—The Shape of Water won four Oscars, including best picture and best achievement in directing for del Toro. The film was nominated for a whopping 13 Oscars overall at the 90th Academy Awards.

The Shape of Water is the first science fiction film to win Best Picture: https://t.co/IvFzmEJ8Qo pic.twitter.com/1O8Aui5EfJ
— Slate (@Slate) March 5, 2018

.@ShapeOfWater arguably becomes the first science fiction movie to win Best Picture, though genres are always tricky to define objectively. It is also the second fantasy winner, after Lord of the Rings III (2003). #Oscars
— Ben Zauzmer (@BensOscarMath) March 5, 2018

Del Toro is currently co-directing a forthcoming stop-motion animated take on Pinocchio, starring Cate Blanchett and Ewan McGregor in the voiceover cast.

Megan Armstrong

Megan Armstrong (@megankarmstrong) is a writer whose work has appeared in places such as Billboard, GQ, Esquire, Bleacher Report, Uproxx, and others. Megan has also produced various podcasts and hosted a daily radio show at Mizzou. She grew up obsessed with sports — impressing adults by memorizing NFL statistics as a kindergartner — and grew into an obsession with music

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