Summary
- Barry Tubb is suing Paramount for the unauthorized use of his likeness in “Top Gun: Maverick,” seeking damages and a jury trial.
Top Gun: Maverick faced a copyright infringement lawsuit early on, alleging that it copied elements from a 1983 California Magazine article.
- Paramount's plans for “Top Gun 3” could be affected by litigation, but the success of “Maverick” suggests sequels are likely to follow.
Barry Tubb, the actor who played Leonard “Wolfman” Wolfe in the original “Top Gun,” is suing Paramount over the use of his likeness in “2022.” Top Gun: Maverick. A belated sequel to the hit 1986 action film “Top Gun: Maverick,” Tom Cruise returned to the role of Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell alongside a younger generation of aviators, including the son of his late friend and wingman Nick ” Goose.” Bradshaw. The sequel is set decades after the events of the first film and also features the return of Val Kilmer as Maverick's former rival Tom “Iceman” Kazansky.
According to a new report from Entertainment WeeklyTubb has taken legal action against Paramount over its decision to include his likeness in a Top Gun: Maverick scene. This includes a photo showing his original character alongside Maverick, Goose and Iceman. According to the complaint, Paramount did not ask for permission to use his image in the sequel, and the actor claims the image was an altered version of an original behind-the-scenes recording that “destroyed any purported copyright.” Paramount has yet to respond to the matter. Meanwhile, Tubbs is seeking compensatory damages and a jury trial.
This latest complaint isn't Top Gun: Maverick's first legal drama
The Tom Cruise sequel landed in hot water
While this latest development may cast a shadow over the monumental success of 2022's long-awaited Top Gun sequel, It is not the first time that the film has been at the center of legal attention. Just weeks after the film first hit theaters, the family of the author who wrote the 1983 California Magazine article that inspired the first film accused Paramount of copyright infringement and even filed for an injunction against distributing the sequel.
Related Top Gun 2 lawsuit explained: Why Paramount is being sued and what it means. Paramount Pictures is facing a massive copyright infringement lawsuit for Top Gun: Maverick that could harm the future of the franchise.The key to this earlier lawsuit, which claims that Top Gun: Maverick copied key parts of Ehud Yonay's Top Guns articleis a scene in which Cruise's Maverick is forced to buy everyone a round of drinks in the Navy base bar because he puts his cell phone on the counter. However, Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski later contradicted this claim, claiming that the scene in question was written based on his own experience visiting a bar on base and having to buy everyone a round.
Whether any of these lawsuits will have a significant impact on Paramount's recently announced plans for Top Gun 3 remains to be seen, but given Top Gun: Maverick's impressive $1.46 billion box office, it would take a lot , to dissuade them from attempting a sequel with another sequel. However, Paramount will likely be extremely cautious about including future references to Tubb's Wolfman.
Both Top Gun films are available to stream on Paramount+.
Could any original Top Gun stars return to the franchise?
More familiar faces may be unlikely to return
If Top Gun 3 does indeed move forward, it's not yet clear who from the Top Gun: Maverick cast or from Tony Scott's original film will return. Paramount will obviously be interested in bringing Cruise back to his role as Maverick, and it's possible that other new stars like Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro and Lewis Pullman will also make a comeback. Although Some of the franchise's up-and-comers appear to be prime candidates to return for a sequelOriginal stars (see table below) from the 1986 film are not.
Top Gun character | Actor |
|---|---|
Charlie | Kelly McGillis |
goose | Anthony Edwards |
Carole | Meg Ryan |
Iceman | Val Kilmer |
fool | Michael Ironside |
viper | Tom Skerritt |
puma | John Stockwell |
sunset | Clarence Gilyard Jr. |
Kilmer, for example, returns as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick, but the film also features his character's death in a particularly emotional sequence. Considering he just filed a lawsuit against Paramount, Tubb is now almost certainly off the table from reprising his role as Wolfman. Original star Kelly McGillis did not return as Charlie in Top Gun: Maverick, nor did Meg Ryan reprise her role as Goose's wife Carole (the latter character is said to have died in the film).
McGillis addressed the fact that he wasn't asked back for Top Gun: Maverick in a 2019 interview with Entertainment Tonight, saying, “I'm old and fat, and I look age-appropriate for my age.” And that's what it's all about not in the whole scene. “
Regarding the exclusion of so many characters from the original film, Kosinski told Insider in 2022, “I didn't want every storyline to always be looking backwards.” With Cruise now in his early 60s and a future Top Gun 3 still several years away, that's it It's likely that the next film will be even more future-oriented, especially since Maverick introduced the franchise to an entirely new generation. It remains to be seen how the franchise will develop afterwards Top Gun: Maverickbut at least audiences shouldn't expect Tubb to come back.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Top Gun: MaverickTop Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the original 1986 film starring Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a top Navy pilot. Thirty years after the events of the original film, Maverick is asked to lead a division of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things get personal when the son of Maverick's late friend shows up, forcing him to confront his past.
director Joseph Kosinski
Release date May 27, 2022
writer Ashley Miller, Justin Marks, Peter Craig, Zack Stentz
Pour Jennifer Connelly, Jake Picking, Raymond Lee, Tom Cruise, Lewis Pullman, Monica Barbaro, Miles Teller, Danny Ramirez, Val Kilmer, Manny Jacinto, Ed Harris, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm
Duration 130 minutes
Franchise(s) Top Gun