‘Top Gun’ actor Barry Tubb sues Paramount over use of his image
The Top Gun actor Barry Tubb is suing Paramount for their use of his image in the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick. According to court records, Tubb states the image was used without his permission, and he didn’t receive any payment.
Tubb played Henry ‘Wolfman’ Ruth in the original Top Gun movie. He filed the lawsuit on February 21st, 2024, in the Central District of California. While the actor has confirmed he gave Paramount permission to use his image, he claims that only pertained to the movie Top Gun in 1986, not any sequels.
The filing states: “The scope of that permission did not include the use of his image in the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, which was released in May 2022 to a worldwide audience and became one of the highest grossing movies that year and its cumulative take will make it one of the highest grossing movies of all time.”
Additionally, his attorney stated in an email that Tubb “does not wish to comment beyond what’s stated in the lawsuit… He’s confident that the legal system will produce a just result in his case.”
Tubb signed his contract and gave permission for his image to be used in 1985, a time he states was when movie sequels were “virtually non-existent.” As such, he didn’t think a follow-up film was in question, and it wasn’t brought up at the time of signing.
He has demanded in his lawsuit that a jury trial be held and Paramount pay him no less than $75,000 in damages.
Paramount has yet to provide any response to the lawsuit.
In a four-star review of Top Gun: Maverick, Far Out wrote: “Top Gun: Maverick soars alongside its predecessor in an attack formation, firing so many missiles it guarantees to hit the dizzying heights of the original, not to mention an arsenal of homages and nods to the previous film that, despite sometimes bordering on the ridiculous, feel as joyful, comfortable and nostalgic as a Happy Meal.”
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