Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick Faces New Franchise Destroying Lawsuit
The original blockbuster film, Top Gun was released on 16th May 1986. In the film, Tom Cruise played a hotshot pilot named Maverick, and his radio intercept officer was known by the nickname “Goose.” With that being said, in this newly filed lawsuit, the heirs of an Israeli author claim Paramount did not license Ehud Yonay’s Top Guns story when the franchise released Top Gun: Maverick last month.
Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick Gets A Lawsuit Under The US Copyright Act
A Los Angeles-based writer and his family are seeking the return of residuals they believe they deserve in connection with Top Gun: Maverick. Or that’s what is stated in their lawsuit which was filed on Monday at the Federal Court of Las Angeles. The lawsuit was allegedly a result of Paramount Studios failing to renew the copyright on part of an article that originally appeared in Ehud’s magazine. The lawsuit echoed loud that the Yonays informed the studio in 2018 that their rights are about to expire soon within the next two years.
To this, Marc Toberoff, Yonays’ lawyer mentioned that
Much as Paramount wants to pretend otherwise, they made a sequel to Top Gun after they lost their copyright.
As a revert, Paramount echoed that
These claims are without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously.
Related: Top Gun: Maverick Crashes Into Legal Trouble as Original Author’s Kin Claims Copyrights
An Entertainment Attorney From Los Angeles Revealed Paramount’s Ex-Plan To Produce The Sequel In 2019
Mitra Ahouraian, an entertainment attorney from Los Angeles, echoed that Paramount planned to produce the Top Gun sequel by 2019. But apparently, the plan failed due to the global pandemic. She explained that
Timing is going to be very important in this case because the notice of termination was sent… to have an effective date of 2020.
Related: Top Gun Becomes Highest Streaming Title After Sequel’s Soaring Success
With that being said, the Yonays have announced their intention to reclaim the rights shared with the movie studio from an old copyright law that allows authors and their heirs to finish reclaiming 35 years after their works were sold. According to the statement released through their lawyer, the termination notice echoed loud that the Yonays have gained the rights again on January 24th, 2020. However, what happens next? Will this lawsuit destroy the franchise? Only time will tell.
Till then, check out: “Not Making This Movie Without Val”: Jerry Bruckheimer Reveals Tom Cruise’s Demand For Top Gun 2
Source: Puck News
