Dustin Hoffman -- TMZ Caused 'Luck' Cancellation

Dustin Hoffman says the TMZ reports surrounding the deaths of 3 horses on the set of "Luck" last year are to blame for his show getting canceled ... claiming our facts were wrong.

Dustin just gave an interview to FoxNews.com, saying the "real" reason the show was canceled was due to a collaboration between PETA and TMZ ... and NOT because the public was upset that THREE horses died during production.

Hoffman said, "It’s completely distorted. Anyone who raises horses know they break their legs. The accusations they made were distorted."

He also directs people to the horse racing website Paulick Report for the "real reason the show was canceled."

Truth is, the TMZ stories are in sync with what was reported on the Paulick Report.

Here are the facts that we published on TMZ.com:

-- THREE horses died during the production of the show
(Confirmed by Paulick Report)

-- Horse #3 was euthanized on the set ... and production continued a few hours later
(Euthanasia confirmed by Paulick Report)

-- HBO acknowledged the deaths ... and released a statement saying “accidents unfortunately happen."