Tom Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick”
Source: Paramount
Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” had another hugely successful weekend at the box office, but the studio behind the film could be feeling the heat of a lawsuit filed Monday.
The family of the author whose article inspired the original “Top Gun” of 1986 is suing Paramount Pictures for copyright infringement, claiming that the studio was unable to recover the rights to the article. of 1983 by Ehud Yonay “Top Guns”.
Shosh and Yuval Yonay, heirs of Ehud Yonay, say they sent a notice to Paramount in January 2018 claiming copyright in January 2020, according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court. “Maverick” began filming in May 2018.
The Yonays also allege that “Maverick” did not end production in 2019, prior to the transfer of copyright, but in May 2021.
“Maverick” was originally scheduled for release in 2019, but was later delayed until 2020. The release was postponed again several times due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It’s unclear when Paramount officially finished the film, but that timeline is likely to be important as demand unfolds.
Paramount representatives did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, including some “Maverick” benefits, and to prevent the studio from distributing the film or more sequels. The film has grossed more than $ 546 million worldwide since its release last month, according to Comscore data.
The Yonays are represented by intellectual property lawyer Marc Toberoff, who specializes in copyright and entertainment litigation and has created a practice representing artists and other creators in copyright disputes with production.
He currently represents several comic book heirs seeking to rescind Disney’s full rights to the Marvel characters and the original screenwriter of “Friday the 13th,” who is in a controversial battle over who owns Jason Voorhees.