Top Gun: Maverickenters another lawsuit as a writer’s cousin is suing Paramount. Directed by Joseph Kosinski – with the credited writers being Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie – the sequel to the 1983 classic features the return ofTom Cruise’s titular test pilotas he trains a group of young Top Gun graduates for a dangerous mission. Released in 2022,Top Gun: Maverickwas a massive critical and commercial success that made nearly $1.5 billion at the box office and received six Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter,Shaun Gray, a cousin ofTop Gun: Maverickscreenwriter Eric Warren Singer, is suing Paramountfor a “screenplay by” credit and a share of the profits from the blockbuster sequel. In a lawsuit filed Sunday in New York federal court, Gray claims he wrote crucial scenes for the sequel after Singer and Kosinski brought him in to help develop the story. He is requesting a court order requiring Paramount to credit him as a screenwriter and grant him a share of the sequel’s earnings.
What This Means For Top Gun: Maverick
It’s The Second Lawsuit The Sequel Is Involved In
This lawsuit represents the second legal dispute over therights toTop Gun: Maverick. The original movie was inspired by an article titled “Top Guns” written by Ehud Yonay and published inCaliforniamagazine three years earlier. In 2023, the author’s heirs accused Paramount ofmoving forward with the sequel without securing a new licensing agreement. The now-dismissed case was led by prominent copyright termination attorney Marc Toberoff.
In a statement, Paramount Pictures saidthat Shaun Gray’s lawsuit “like the one previously brought by Mr. Toberoff in an attempt to benefit off of the success of Top Gun: Maverick, is completely without merit.” It continued, “We are confident that a court will reject this claim as well.” Gray claims he co-wrote theTop Gun: Maverickscreenplaywithout a work-made-for-hire agreement, unlike the other writers. He says he wrote several key scenes, participated in story meetings, and has time-stamped evidence, but never signed a contract granting Paramount copyright ownership.
Our Take On The Second Top Gun: Maverick Lawsuit
It Will Also Likely Be Dismissed
Similar to the first lawsuit brought by Marc Toberoff, Shaun Gray’s lawsuit will also likely be dismissed. Whenever there is a highly successfulblockbuster likeTop Gun: Maverick, there are generally copyright battles and a slew of lawsuits hoping to get a piece of the pie, often with little to no merit. It also doesn’t seem to help Gray’s case that his lawsuit is being brought three years afterTop Gun: Maverick’s release.
