The Top Gun: Maverick drama isn’t over just yet. A cousin of screenwriter Eric Singer, Shaun Gray, is suing Paramount Pictures, claiming he wrote crucial scenes for the Oscar-winning sequel but was never credited or compensated for his work.
Gray says he collaborated with his cousin Eric Singer and director Joseph Kosinski for five months, contributing to what he describes as the film’s “edge-of-your-seat dramatic action sequences” that played a key role in making Maverick such a massive hit. According to court documents reviewed by PEOPLE, Gray has time-stamped emails and files that track his involvement in writing these pivotal scenes, claiming he made significant contributions that were later credited to others.
The lawsuit claims that Gray, a visual effects professional by trade, was exploited by Hollywood’s power players. Gray is seeking “justice” and accountability from the defendants, demanding recognition for his creative work and compensation for the role he played in crafting the film’s success.
This legal battle is not the first time Top Gun: Maverick has landed in court. Paramount Pictures was previously sued by the heirs of Ehud Yonay, the author behind the original Top Gun story. The Yonays accused the studio of failing to reacquire the necessary film rights before releasing the 2022 sequel. This case was dismissed, but it’s still under appeal.
Paramount, in response to Gray’s lawsuit, has dismissed his claims as “without merit.” The studio’s spokesperson emphasized their confidence that the court would reject this claim, pointing out that it’s similar to the previous lawsuit filed by Gray’s lawyer, Marc Toberoff.
Meanwhile, Top Gun: Maverick continues to soar in the record books. The film brought Tom Cruise back as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, featuring a star-studded cast including Miles Teller and the late, Val Kilmer. The action-packed film grossed nearly $1.5 billion globally, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2022 and the highest-grossing film of Cruise’s career. It also earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and won Best Sound.
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