‘Top Gun’ actor Barry Tubb sues Paramount Pictures for using his image in ‘Maverick’ sequel
He’s taking the highway to the legal zone.
Barry Tubb, who starred in the original “Top Gun” film as Wolfman, filed a lawsuit against Paramount+ claiming that the streaming giant used a photo of him without his permission in the 2022 sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Tubb’s lawsuit refers to a scene when Hangman (Glen Powell) and Coyote (Greg Tarzan Davis) discover that Rooster Bradshaw (Miles Teller) is actually the late Goose’s (Anthony Edwards) son.
In the scene, Bradshaw points out a tarnished photo of the Top Gun Class of 1986, which features Wolfman, Goose, Maverick (Tom Cruise) and Iceman (Val Kilmer).
Tubb, 61, argues that his permission to use his likeness “did not include the use of his image in the sequel,” court documents obtained by The Post state.
“When the plaintiff entered into his contract with Paramount movie sequels were virtually nonexistent,” the documents read. “This is to indicate that no sequel was contemplated by either the plaintiff or Paramount when the contract between them was entered into on June 5, 1985.”
The documents further state that Paramount knowingly used Tubb’s image “in key scenes of the sequel” and didn’t attempt to seek permission from the actor.
Tubb’s 33-page document reveals that the actor is currently seeking damages and injunctive relief for an undisclosed amount, though given that the flick made nearly $1.5 billion at the box office, the amount is sure to be high.
In “Top Gun: Maverick,” Cruise, 61, returned as United States Navy Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell 30 years later. The film also featured the return of Kilmer as Maverick’s nemesis, Iceman, which caused the “Mission Impossible” star to tear up.
“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 got emotional. He’s such a brilliant actor, and I love his work,” Cruise added.
Kilmer, 64, confirmed he had throat cancer in April 2017 and had been battling the illness since 2015.
Their onscreen reunion was made even more emotional due to the fact that Kilmer has limited speaking ability due to his various cancer treatments.
Newcomer Powell, 35, meanwhile, revealed that he asked for Cruise’s help to get into character.
“We would watch movies and talk about certain actors that he was kind of like, what the body posture was,” Powell said during a steamy photoshoot for Men’s Health.
“He was like, ‘You as a person are very apologetic. You don’t want to hurt people, you want to treat people well, you apologize even when you don’t need to. You can’t have any of that in your eyes.’”
Last month, it was reported that a third installment of “Top Gun” is in the works.
“There is going to be some fun stuff being announced soon but it was confidential to me,” Powell told Variety at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 21, while recalling his initial reaction to the development news. “People looked at me like I knew what was going on.”
