StudioCanal Settles Lawsuit That Threatened To Injunct ‘How To Kill Your Family,’ The Upcoming Netflix Series Starring Anya Taylor-Joy

EXCLUSIVE: StudioCanal has settled a copyright lawsuit in which the European studio said it was seeking an injunction against How to Kill Your Family, the upcoming Netflix series starring Anya Taylor-Joy.

Deadline can reveal that StudioCanal took legal action against Bella Mackie, who wrote the How to Kill Your Family novel on which the Netflix series is based. In its suit filed earlier this year, StudioCanal alleged that Mackie infringed the copyright of Kind Hearts and Coronets, the Ealing Studios comedy it owns.

Mackie’s 2021 novel follows Grace Bernard, the child of a merciless billionaire, as she exacts revenge on her family after a heartbreaking rejection. Kind Hearts and Coronets, the 1949 feature starring Alec Guinness, centers on the distant relative of a Duke, who plots to inherit the title by murdering eight heirs ahead of him in the line of succession.

Mackie, daughter of former The Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger, has not spoken publicly about being inspired by Kind Hearts and Coronets, but critics have compared her novel to the film, which was written by Robert Hamer and John Dighton, with assistance from Michael Pertwee and Nancy Mitford.

In its High Court complaint, StudioCanal claimed that How to Kill Your Family reproduced “a substantial part” of Kind Hearts and Coronets without approval. The company sought undeclared financial damages and an injunction, restraining Mackie from “reproducing” her novel. The lawsuit made specific reference to the Netflix adaptation, linking to an August 2024 Deadline article about the series.

The legal proceedings have now been settled, though details of the agreement are yet to be disclosed. StudioCanal declined to comment, but confirmed the matter was resolved. Mackie’s reps at Curtis Brown have been approached for comment. Netflix and HarperCollins, which owns How to Kill Your Family publisher The Borough Press, have also been approached.

The How to Kill Your Family series is being adapted by Killing Eve producer Sid Gentle Films, with production expected to begin next year. Taylor-Joy, an executive producer through her company LadyKiller, will star as murderous Grace Bernard. Mackie is an executive producer with Emma Moran, Sally Woodward Gentle, Lizzie Rusbridger, and Lee Morris.

StudioCanal lawyers have had a busy period. Deadline revealed earlier this month that the company was suing Avalon after the British producer’s Spitting Image series on YouTube depicted Paddington Bear as a potty-mouthed podcast host. Avalon has said it will defend the case.