Two British stunt performers have filed a £200,000 lawsuit against the production company behind the Kingsman film series, alleging unauthorized use of their action footage in Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Theo Morton and Douglas Robson claim that 18 seconds of footage featuring their performances in the 2017 film Kingsman: The Golden Circle were incorporated into the visual backdrop of the concert tour without their permission or financial compensation.

The footage in question shows Elton John, who made a cameo appearance in the film, dispatching characters played by Morton and Robson while dressed in one of his distinctive stage costumes. Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which included 330 live shows worldwide, became the highest-grossing concert tour at the time, earning more than $939 million.

Morton, known for appearances in Game of Thrones and Dunkirk, and Robson, whose credits include Guardians of the Galaxy and The Batman, are each seeking £100,000 in damages from Marv Bespoke Productions Limited. The company, owned by director Matthew Vaughn and supermodel Claudia Schiffer, produced the Kingsman franchise. Their legal representation asserts that the stunt performers’ contracts entitle them to royalties from any “new use” of footage featuring their performances.

Jonathan Moss KC, representing Morton and Robson, argued that their likenesses and stunt work were exploited without their knowledge or approval. He noted that the footage was also broadcast as part of recording releases on iPlayer and Disney Plus, expanding its distribution beyond the live shows. “All of this exploitation of this footage has been done without the performers’ prior consent nor prior knowledge. Its use therefore breaches the contract between the performers and Marv,” Moss said.

In response, Marv Bespoke Productions denied responsibility for the use of the footage in the tour. Tom Cleaver, the company’s barrister, stated that the studio neither authorized nor profited from the inclusion of the clips. He emphasized that the stuntmen had previously signed over their rights and asserted that the use of film extracts within live stage shows does not constitute a “new use” requiring additional consent or payment.

“The defendant was not responsible for the use of the clips in the show. It neither used the clips nor arranged their use, nor has it earned any proceeds from that use,” Cleaver said. He further argued that there was no obligation for the studio to seek consent or provide payment where it was not involved in licensing the footage.

The dispute is set to proceed to trial unless the parties reach an out-of-court settlement prior to litigation.