There was a copyright lawsuit filed against the Oscar-winning film for allegedly been copied from a 1969 play. The lawsuit was also directed towards Guillermo del Toro the director of film, but Judge Percy Anderson dismissed it and clarified that Shape of Water was not copied from Let Me Hear You Whisper by Paul Zindel. Paul’s son had sued del Toro stating that the two works of art were identical in many ways. Ergo, the judge announced that the two shared only ‘a basic premise’.