The son of Pulitzer-winning playwright Paul Zindel has claimed that the plot to multi-Oscar-nominated film The Shape of Water is “obviously derived” from a 1969 play by his father.
Fox Searchlight Pictures says that director and co-writer del Toro had never read nor seen Zindel’s play, which was broadcast on US television. The Guardian adds: “Mr del Toro has had a 25-year career during which he has made ten feature films and has always been very open about acknowledging his influences.”
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The Shape of Water is nominated for 13 Oscars, including best picture and best original screenplay. Some commentators have also compared the film to another work, a 13-minute short called The Space Between Us. The Netherlands Film Academy, which produced the short, has issued a statement saying that the two films “have their own very different identities”, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
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