‘Top Gun’ Actor Barry Tubb Sues Paramount Over ‘Maverick’ Image

Films

By Jack Hobbs

He is taking the road towards the legal zone.

Barry Tubb, who starred in the original “Top Gun” film as Wolfman, has filed a lawsuit against Paramount+ alleging that the streaming giant used a photo of him without his permission in the 2022 sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Tubb’s lawsuit concerns a scene in which Hangman (Glen Powell) and Coyote (Greg Tarzan Davis) discover that Rooster Bradshaw (Miles Teller) is actually the son of the deceased Goose (Anthony Edwards).

In the scene, Bradshaw points to a tarnished photo of the 1986 Top Gun class, featuring Wolfman, Goose, Maverick (Tom Cruise), and Iceman (Val Kilmer).

Tubb, 61, argues that his permission to use his image “did not include the use of his image in the sequel,” court documents obtained by The Post state.

“When Plaintiff signed his contract with Paramount, movie sequels were virtually non-existent,” the documents read. “This is to indicate that neither plaintiff nor Paramount contemplated any sequel when the contract between them was entered into on June 5, 1985.”

The documents further claim that Paramount knowingly used Tubb’s likeness “in key scenes of the sequel” and did not attempt to ask the actor’s permission.

Tubb’s 33-page document reveals that the actor is currently seeking damages and injunctive relief for an undisclosed amount, although given that the film grossed nearly $1.5 billion at the box office, the amount is bound to be high.

In “Top Gun: Maverick”, Cruise, 61, returned like United States Navy Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell 30 years later. The film also featured the return of Kilmer as Maverick’s enemy Iceman, causing the “Mission: Impossible” star to cry.

“I’ve known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character, he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again. You’re looking at Iceman,” Cruise said during an appearance. on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last year.

“I was crying. I was emotional. He’s such a brilliant actor and I love his work,” Cruise added.

Kilmer, 64 years old, confirmed that he had throat cancer in April 2017 and had been fighting the disease since 2015.

Their on-screen reunion was made even more emotional due to the fact that Kilmer has a limited ability to speak due to his various cancer treatments.

Meanwhile, newcomer Powell, 35, revealed that he enlisted Cruise’s help to get into character.

“We would watch movies and talk about certain actors, what he was like and what his body posture was,” Powell said. during a hot photo shoot for Men’s Health.

“He told me, ‘You, as a person, apologize a lot.’ You don’t want to hurt people, you want to treat them well, you apologize even when it’s not necessary. You can’t have any of that in your eyes.’”

Last month, it was reported that a third “Top Gun” installment is in the works.

“There are some fun things that will be announced soon, but for me they were confidential,” Powell told Variety at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, recalling his initial reaction to news of the development. “People looked at me like they knew what was going on.”