Australian presenter Ben Waddell claims Netflix stole Down to Earth with Zac Efron from him

Australian model and filmmaker Ben Waddell claims Netflix stole his idea for Zac Efron’s Down to Earth documentary series.

Waddell said the eco-travel show, now filming its second season in Australia, is an almost exact copy of the concept he shopped around the US in 2018.

American producers balked at the idea because they wanted a celebrity as the host, and Waddell returned to Australia to shoot a local version.

Then suddenly Efron’s show appeared on the streaming platform last year without him even realising it was in production.

‘I was sitting on my couch during lockdown and turned on Netflix and it was trending as the second-biggest show in the US,’ he told Daily Mail Australia from New York.

Ben Waddell said the eco-travel show, now filming its second season in Australia, is an almost exact copy of the concept he shopped around the US in 2018

An Australian filmmaker claims Netflix stole his idea for Zac Efron’s Down to Earth documentary series (Efron pictured on location)

‘I fell out of my chair, I was shocked. It was brutal, gut-wrenching.

‘Now they’re making a season 2 in Australia just to kick me when I’m down.’

The Australian presenter and production partner Whitney Smith shot a pilot for ‘Down to Earth with Ben Waddell’ at an eco-retreat in Mexico in July 2017.

After it was not picked up in the US, he began plans to shoot in Australia but had to shut down discussions with Channel 10 after seeing the Efron version in June.

Waddell, through his production company Ghost Donkey Media, is now suing Netflix and Down to Earth makers The Nacelle Company.

Lawyers wrote in a concerns notice to both parties that Efron’s show ‘appears to be directly and illegally copied’ from Waddell’s.

Lawyers wrote in a concerns notice to both parties that Efron's show 'appears to be directly and illegally copied' from Waddell's, even that they have exactly the same name

Lawyers wrote in a concerns notice to both parties that Efron’s show ‘appears to be directly and illegally copied’ from Waddell’s, even that they have exactly the same name

Waddell's lawyers argue even the show's trailers have the same shots, let along the show itself's similarities to the pilot

Waddell’s lawyers argue even the show’s trailers have the same shots, let along the show itself’s similarities to the pilot

Waddell looks over the scenery in much the same way that Efron does in the Down to Earth trailer

Waddell looks over the scenery in much the same way that Efron does in the Down to Earth trailer

The letter argued the similarities between the two are ‘striking’, even that they have exactly the same name.

‘The concepts are substantially identical as well: Both feature a young, charismatic host travelling around the world and immersing himself in the cultures he visits, in particular exploring how… [they] approach sustainability,’ the letter read.

‘Even some of the individual shots that make up the trailer are the same.’

Both trailers begin with the host struggling to learn a phrase in a foreign language, then cut to a shot of the host on a plane with a view out the window.

The lawyers pointed out eight scenes in the show that mirror Waddell’s version in ways that are ‘too extensive and specific to be a coincidence’.

Waddell said he received no response since the letter was sent in September and was raising money to take the case further. 

‘The way it’s gone down is sad. We just want credit where credit is due, and any royalties we may be entitled to,’ he said.

The lawyers pointed out eight scenes in the show that mirror Waddell's version in ways that are 'too extensive and specific to be a coincidence'

The lawyers pointed out eight scenes in the show that mirror Waddell’s version in ways that are ‘too extensive and specific to be a coincidence’

Efron visits a sustainable farms, tries the food grown there, and reacts to it

Efron visits a sustainable farms, tries the food grown there, and reacts to it

Waddell is seen here in the pilot having the same type of reaction to the food on the show

Waddell is seen here in the pilot having the same type of reaction to the food on the show

Waddell and production partner Whitney Smith shot a pilot for 'Down to Earth with Ben Waddell' at an eco-retreat in Mexico in July 2017 (pictured)

Waddell and production partner Whitney Smith shot a pilot for ‘Down to Earth with Ben Waddell’ at an eco-retreat in Mexico in July 2017 (pictured)

Waddell said he never directly pitched the show to Nacelle or Netflix, but the pilot was widely shared by industry insiders.

‘I was new to the game and I shared it to anyone who would listen just to get it off the ground, we should have been better at documenting who actually saw it,’ he said. 

Efron was seen filming a segment for the new season last week in the luxury fine dining restaurant Quay in Sydney, with his girlfriend Vanessa Valladares.

He earlier attended a Welcome To Country ceremony lead by an Aboriginal elder alongside wellness expert Darin Olien, who co-hosts the show.

The pair both wore paint on their faces, while wearing a traditional red headband.

The first season visited Britain, Costa Rica, France, Iceland, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Sardinia.

Efron posted of attending a Welcome To Country ceremony lead by an Aboriginal elder alongside wellness expert Darin Olien, who co-hosts the show, in filming for season 2

Efron posted of attending a Welcome To Country ceremony lead by an Aboriginal elder alongside wellness expert Darin Olien, who co-hosts the show, in filming for season 2