‘Top Gun’ writer’s family says, Not so fast, Maverick!
Reprints
The family of the author whose article inspired the 1986 Tom Cruise movie “Top Gun” on Monday sued Paramount Pictures for copyright infringement over this year’s blockbuster sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” according to Reuters.
The complaint, filed in Los Angeles federal court, claims the studio failed to reacquire the rights to Ehud Yonay’s 1983 article “Top Guns” from the family before releasing the “derivative” sequel.
The lawsuit by Shosh Yonay and Yuval Yonay, who live in Israel and are, respectively, Ehud’s widow and son, seeks unspecified damages, including profits from “Top Gun: Maverick,” and to block distribution of the movie or further sequels.
Paramount said in a statement: “These claims are without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously.”
“Top Gun: Maverick” is this year’s biggest box office hit, generating $291 million in North America and $548.6 million globally in its first 10 days of release.
