A group of Ukrainian expats have set out to write an open letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences questioning whether Top Gun: Maverick was allowed to remain in this year’s Oscar race after reports that the film was partially financed by a Russian oligarch who invested in the film as a silent investor in LA-based New Republic Pictures.
The blockbuster – in which Tom Cruise reprized his role as US Navy pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell – was honored at this year’s Academy Awards, which take place this Sunday, for best picture, adapted screenplay, editing, original song, the sound and the visual effects nominated.
The Toronto-based Ukrainian World Congress (UWK) asked AMPAS to review the film’s Oscar eligibility following media reports in January that Russian billionaire Dimitry Rybolovlev indirectly helped finance the film. Rybolovlev is on a list of Russian businessmen approved by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The purpose of writing via UWK is to eliminate the potential for Russian interference in the content of Hollywood films.
“The World Congress of Ukraine expresses serious concern about Russia’s influence on the Hollywood film industry,” UWK President Paul Grod wrote in an open letter to AMPAS President Janet Yang, written Monday during the final two days of the Oscars vote that was. sent Pers. which ended on Tuesday at 5:00 PM PST.
Grod made an unsubstantiated, speculative and seemingly shaky claim that Rybolovlev’s involvement may have caused the Kremlin to intervene in the script to remove plot references to Russia as an antagonist in the film. boss follow up. “Rybolovlev’s Funding of Top Gun: Maverick was not published and there is good reason to believe that its involvement may have led to censorship by the Kremlin,” he wrote. “Unlike the original film Top Gun: Maverick does not directly or indirectly refer to Russia. This is hardly a coincidence. Hollywood needs to be vigilant and transparent when using Russian money to encourage pro-Kremlin censorship.”
Sources at the studio familiar with the situation said that while New Republic has invested in Paramount films since 2020, it has no creative influence over the content of the studio’s pictures. Top Gun: Maverick included.
The LA Times reports that the plaintiff in a recent breach of contract suit brought by former president Bradley Fischer against New Republic alleges that Monaco-based Rybolovlev was instrumental in funding New Republic Boss: Independent thinking person and the Impossible mission follow up.
Grod described Rybolovlev “as one of Russia’s richest oligarchs and a “known close friend and business partner” of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev.
He said the oligarch has also been Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s biggest business partner in potash exports for more than a decade, helping him maintain his authoritarian regime with cash flows.
Top Gun: Maverick Development first began in 2010, with principal filming eventually taking place from May 2018 to April 2019, at a time of worsening US-Russia relations amid allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 US presidential election.
meeting has reached out to Paramount for comment on the letter and its claims.
Rybolovlev, known as the “Art Mistake King”, has lived in Monaco since 2010, where he is the owner of the football club AS Monaco.
Aside from his recent alleged involvement in Hollywood, Rybolovlev is a noted art collector whose collection includes works by Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, Auguste Rodin and Henri Matisse.
Rybolovlev previously gained notoriety in the US for his 2008 purchase of Donald Trump’s Maison de L’Amitie for $95 million, which he has since sold.
He is among a group of Russian businessmen sanctioned by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in October 2022 but have so far avoided sanctions in Europe and the US.
Grod concluded his letter by asking the Academy to reject any film with direct or indirect investment by Russian oligarchs or other parties that facilitated Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He also urged the panel to issue a strong statement at Sunday night’s ceremony condemning Russia’s war on Ukraine and “all efforts to influence Hollywood and American society.”
Source: Deadline
Bernice Bonaparte is an author and entertainment journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for pop culture and a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest entertainment news, Bernice has become a trusted source for information on the entertainment industry.
