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Here’s what’s going on with the ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ lawsuit saga
If you thought the most dangerous parts of “Top Gun: Maverick” were the MiGs, just wait until you meet the lawyers.Whilst we wait for updates on the third installment of “Top Gun” (a story that screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie has called “in the bag”), let’s do a little catching up on the lawsuits filed against the gangbuster “Top Gun: Maverick. “
Yonay v. Paramount
First up, the 2022 lawsuit against Paramount Pictures by the Yonay family, who claimed that “Top Gun: Maverick” was a copyright infringement of the original article that inspired the 1986 “Top Gun” film. That article—published in California Magazine in May 1983—was titled “Top Guns” and written by Israeli author Ehud Yonay. When Jerry Bruckheimer produced the original film, Paramount Pictures obtained exclusive film rights to the article… for 35 years, after which, the rights were to revert to Yonay’s widow and son.Related: 79 surprising insider errors in ‘Top Gun’The lawsuit claimed that “Maverick” had elements derived from Yonay’s article, but ultimately, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that “Top Gun: Maverick” and the magazine article were not similar beyond historical facts and dismissed the suit. So while the Yonay family has indeed recovered the rights to the copyright of the original “Top Guns” article and may financially benefit from their creations, Paramount Pictures retains the rights to the film “Top Gun” and its franchise.
A photo of an F-14 Tomcat taken for the original “Top Guns” article. (Tom Kasser/California Magazine)
Gray v. Global
In April 2025, Shaun Gray, cousin and sometimes assistant to “Top Gun: Maverick” co-writer Eric Warren Singer (along with Ehren Kruger and Christopher McQuarrie), alleged that he had written “key scenes for the screenplay that became the film’s central edge-of-your-seat dramatic action sequences that made it a smash hit.” He filed a copyright infringement lawsuit, along with alleged drafts and timestamps, to obtain credit for “Maverick” and financial compensation. Unfortunately for Gray, Paramount’s lawyers came down hard against the suit. Not only did a U.S. District Court Judge decide against Gray’s claims, but Paramount countersued, claiming that because Gray had not been contracted to write for the film, he had been the one to infringe on the copyright of their property (“Top Gun”).“As for Paramount’s fraud counterclaim, Paramount alleges that Gray devalued Paramount’s intellectual property by intentionally concealing from Paramount that he was writing scenes and making contributions to Singer’s draft of the ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ screenplay,” wrote the judge.This saga is ongoing.
Top Gun 3
So, where does that leave us with the third film in the franchise? So far, mostly with rumors. But here’s what we know so far. “Director Joseph Kosinski is set to helm the threequel, with actors Miles Teller and Glen Powell on target to return,” according to Esquire. Meanwhile, while promoting “Mission Impossible-The Final Reckoning” in 2025, McQuarrie hinted at the storyline for the third film. “I already know what it is,” he said. “I thought it would be [harder]. And that’s a good place to go from, is you walk into a room going, ‘Come on, what are we going to do?’ [Screenwriter] Ehren Kruger pitched something, and I went, ‘Hmm, actually…’ We had one conversation about it, and the framework is there. So, no, it’s not hard to crack. The truth of the matter is, none of these are hard to crack.”No word yet on whether Maverick himself will appear on camera, if the “Top Gun” sequel was his final reckoning, or if Tom Cruise will produce behind the scenes, but with McQuarrie, Kruger, and Kosinski on board, the elements are definitely there for something fun.
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