Writer's cousin sues for share of Top Gun: Maverick profits

Paramount Pictures is being sued by a Top Gun: Maverick writer's cousin for a share of the profits from the blockbuster sequel.

Shaun Gray, a cousin of Maverick screenwriter Eric Warren Singer, is also seeking a 'screenplay by' credit, claiming he co-wrote key scenes.

In a lawsuit filed in New York federal court, Gray alleges he penned scenes for the film, which starred Tom Cruise, after screenwriter Eric Warren Singer and director Joseph Kosinski enlisted his help to craft the story behind the Top Gun sequel.

He is seeking a court order that would force Paramount to give him a writing credit and a share of the profits.

The lawsuit marks the second legal battle over the rights to Top Gun: Maverick. In 2023, the heirs to the author of a 1983 magazine story that inspired the original film accused Paramount of forging ahead with the project without renegotiating a new license.

The copyright case has since been dismissed.

In a statement, Paramount Pictures said this lawsuit, "like the one previously brought in an attempt to benefit off of the success of Top Gun: Maverick, is completely without merit."

It added, "We are confident that a court will reject this claim as well."