AceShowbiz - After a significant delay, The Hunt is finally set to premiere on Apple TV. The French-language thriller series, originally scheduled for release in December 2025, was pulled just one week before its debut due to allegations of plagiarism. The controversy centered around similarities between the show's plot and Douglas Fairbairn's 1973 novel Shoot, which had previously been adapted into a 1976 film starring Cliff Robertson and Ernest Borgnine.

Produced by Gaumont and directed by Cédric Anger, the series was initially promoted as an original creation. However, once the parallels to Fairbairn's work were discovered in November 2025, the production company launched an investigation to address the situation. In collaboration with Apple TV, Gaumont took immediate steps to identify the rights holders of Shoot and secure the appropriate permissions to move forward.

In an official statement, Gaumont emphasized its commitment to respecting authors' rights and maintaining transparency with creative artists. The company noted: "Respect for works and authors' rights is a fundamental principle for Gaumont, which can only be exercised with the trust and transparency of creative artists." This approach has allowed the series to retain its core story while officially crediting Fairbairn’s novel as its source material.

The Hunt will debut globally on Apple TV with a special launch of two episodes on March 4, 2026. Following this, a new episode will be released each Wednesday through April 1. This places the series among Apple TV’s growing slate of French productions, following acclaimed titles like Drops of God and Carême.

Leading the cast is Cannes Best Actor and three-time César Award winner Benoît Magimel, who stars alongside two-time César Award recipient Mélanie Laurent. The ensemble also includes Damien Bonnard, Manuel Guillot, Cédric Appietto, Frédéric Maranber, Angélyna Mignot, Paul Beaurepaire, Yann Goven, Hugo Dillon, Sarah Pachoud, and Patrick de Vallette.

The Hunt combines elements of thriller, survival, and action genres. The story follows Franck (played by Benoît Magimel) and his longtime friends, who regularly go hunting together in the woods near their homes. Their routine weekend outing turns deadly when an unknown group of hunters opens fire on them without warning. After a friend is shot, they fight back and kill one of the attackers before fleeing.

Although they attempt to resume their everyday lives and keep the incident secret, Franck and his friends become increasingly aware that they are being watched and targeted by the hostile group. The tension escalates as they seek revenge and try to uncover the motivations behind the attack. The first two episodes focus on Franck’s investigation into the mysterious assailants, culminating in a return to the woods to confront the danger head-on.

This new adaptation of Shoot marks the latest project in Apple TV’s international expansion of high-quality, non-English language programming. The series acknowledges its inspiration from Fairbairn’s novel and the 1976 film directed by Harvey Hart, with a screenplay by Richard Berg.