Top Gun: Maverick Producer Explains Why the Legacy Sequel Has Rivaled Marvel
Despite being released almost three months ago, legacy sequel Top Gun: Maverick continues to reach new heights and recently surpassed the Marvel epic Avengers: Infinity War at the domestic box office.
Now the sixth-highest-grossing movie ever in North America, Top Gun: Maverick producer Jerry Bruckheimer has explained why he believes the action drama has managed to overtake the superhero offerings of Marvel and DC.
“The audiences love the Marvel, they love the DC stuff. They’re beautifully made by really talented people. Sometimes you want to see something that’s real, and that’s what Top Gun gave us… These aviators are out there protecting our country right now, flying around the world, and you’re taking a ride with them. You’re seeing what they do, you’re seeing what their life is like, and the trials and tribulations that they have to go through. You’re actually experiencing it with our actors.”
Speaking with EW, Bruckheimer first praised the efforts Marvel and DC, before reasoning that it is the reality of Top Gun: Maverick that has so overwhelmingly appealed to audiences.
By far the most impressive element of the Top Gun follow-up is the awe-inspiring aerial majesty of the fighter jets, something that was largely achieved for real. So, as Bruckheimer explains it, rather than the CGI magic of Marvel, with the producer adding that audiences “have been seeing so much CGI,” it is the tangibility of Top Gun: Maverick that has led to such massive success.
And what a success it has been. Since its release back in May, Top Gun: Maverick has been a monumental critical and financial triumph, grossing over $1.4 billion worldwide and thus becoming the highest-grossing movie of 2022. An even bigger surprise is that Top Gun: Maverick is now the highest-grossing outing for Hollywood icon Tom Cruise, with the sequel now taking over Avengers: Infinity War’s 2018 domestic gross of $678 million. While Top Gun: Maverick still has some way to go before taking over Infinity War’s global box office of just over $2 billion, if anyone can do it, it’s Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.
Jerry Bruckheimer Thinks Tom Cruise Should Win an Oscar for Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick picks up after more than thirty years since the release of the first Top Gun, and follows Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise), who has been of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators for just as long. Feeling that he is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot, Maverick suddenly finds himself training a detachment of graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen. A mission that sees Maverick encounter Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”
Not only has Top Gun: Maverick rivaled the MCU at the box office, Jerry Bruckheimer believes that this success should carry over to the Academy, with the producer stating that Tom Cruise deserves an Oscar for his efforts in bringing Maverick back to the big screen. “Nobody cares more, nobody works harder than Tom,” he said. “You look at his performance, it’s deceiving, because it’s so good, it’s so natural. It’s something that audiences understand and realize, and we hope the Academy will feel the same way.”
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Top Gun: Maverick will be released for streaming on August 23, 2022, followed by the 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD releases on November 1, 2022.
Tom Cruise and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Cast Describe Film’s ‘Grueling’ and ‘Intense’ G-Force Stunts
The sky-high stunts in Top Gun: Maverick were just as intense to pull off as they were to watch onscreen.
In a behind-the-scenes clip shared exclusively with PEOPLE, stars of the blockbuster movie recall what it was like in the cockpit ahead of Top Gun: Maverick ‘s digital release on Tuesday.
“It’s physically grueling being there, pulling those G’s,” Tom Cruise says in the video. “It’s exhausting.”
Director Joseph Kosinski adds that the actors faced up to 1,600 lbs. of force, or 8G’s, in some of the stunts, and explained that it was “actually pulling the blood out of your brain” because of the g-force levels.
“The things that we did up there, you can’t fake it on a soundstage,” Greg Tarzan Davis, who plays Lt. Javy ‘Coyote’ Machado in the movie, says. “You can’t fake the g-force distorting your face.”
Costar Miles Teller focused on just staying composed during the action-packed scenes. “There’s not too much acting going on,” Teller, 35, says. “You’re just trying to not pass out, not puke.”
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The sequel follows Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell 30 years after his graduation from TOPGUN Naval aviation program, when he is called back as an instructor for the elite fliers. Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Teller) is the son of his late best friend Goose (Anthony Edwards in the 1986 original).
Paramount Pictures
The cast also includes Glen Powell, Jay Ellis, Monica Barbaro and Lewis Pullman. Jennifer Connelly and Jon Hamm also star, while Val Kilmer reprises his role.
The digital release features more than 110 minutes of bonus content, from the cast’s intense flight training program, to rare glimpses of how filmmakers shot the movie’s spectacular aerial sequences, pushing the limits beyond Mach-10 with an experimental aircraft specially designed for the movie.
Top Gun: Maverick is available on digital Tuesday, with the 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD versions set for a Nov. 1 release from Paramount Home Entertainment.
15 Little Known Facts About Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick
Adrenaline junkies around the world were captivated by the action-packed fighter jet drama Top Gun. From aviators to slamming soundtracks, it’s no surprise the prequel remains one of the highest-grossing cult classics of the 80s. With Top Gun: Maverick set to release shortly, fans are at an all-time peak of nostalgia. Now that it’s almost time for the sequel to hit the big screen, let’s take a look at some of the little known facts about Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick:
15. Tom Cruise Wasn’t The First Choice
While it’s hard to imagine anyone else as Maverick, John Travolta was initially the producers’ top pick. However, due to a series of flop movies and budget issues, the plug was pulled on Travolta, and Cruise was approached. However, he too turned down to role. The executives then approached Patrick Swayze, Nicolas Cage, and Tom Hanks but neither was interested in the aviation blockbuster.
Eventually, Tom Cruise was swayed by producer Jerry Bruckheimer who used personal connections to convince the actor.
14. Val Kilmer Wasn’t Interested Either
Similarly, it’s hard to picture anyone other than Val Kilmer as Iceman, Maverick’s nemesis. Despite his sarcastic and steamy performance, Kilmer thought the plot was ludicrous and only attended the casting call because he shared Tom Cruise’s agent. In the end, Tony Scott’s vision was enough to change his mind.
It’s interesting to note that Cruise and Kilmer had both an on and off-screen disliking for one other during the production of Top Gun. Nonetheless, Kilmer reached out personally to Cruise requesting his role be reprised in the sequel!
13. Top Gun Took its Cast to All New Heights
Filming for Top Gun required the use of actual aircraft and pilots because it was shot long before CGI and green screens had become common. Consequently, Paramount splurged around $1.8 million just to work with the Pentagon and use their equipment. This meant that every actor had to fly in real life for their cockpit scenes with a designated pilot.
Maverick’s flying stunts were performed by astronaut Scott Altman. But it’ll come as no surprise that Cruise did all of his stunts for the sequel. Since Tom Cruise is a licensed pilot, it only makes sense that he takes charge to embody Maverick.
12. The Lady Leads of Top Gun Will Not be Returning
Fans may be surprised to learn that none of the female cast members from Top Gun have been cast in the sequel. This time around the love interest and Top Gun instructor, Charlie Blackwood will not be reprised at all.
Like her co-star Kelly McGillis, Meg Ryan will also be absent on the big screen as Goose’s widow. Director Kosinski’s approach is to introduce new faces and move towards the future instead of gazing into the past events of Top Gun.
11. A Whole New Graduate Class
Several well-known actors are joining the cast of Top Gun: Maverick as key characters. Miles Teller has been cast as the now all-grown-up son of Goose.
Teller is well-known for his lead roles in The Spectacular and Whiplash. Furthermore, the cast features a star-studded ensemble such as Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, and Ed Harris to name a few.
10. Top Gun: Maverick’s Budget is Almost Nine Times Over the Prequel
Top Gun’s modest $15 million budget made it a mainstream hit, grossing more than $357 million worldwide. It’s been four years since the first announcement of a sequel was revealed on Instagram.
This is likely because of the whopping $140 million production costs! But, did you know the huge budget boosted the economy of California, generating over 3,000 premium jobs for locals?
9. Lady Gaga Wrote the OST For the Sequel
When you think of Top Gun, it’s hard not to start humming along to the words of the romance classic “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin.
Lady Gaga has taken the reigns when it comes to Top Gun: Maverick, composing and singing the theme song from scratch herself. She described the song as a love letter to the world in a time of uncertainty.
8. Top Gun: Maverick is Geared For IMAX
For the ultimate picture quality and viewing experience, it’s recommended to watch the sequel in IMAX theatres. Through his collaboration with Sony, director Kosinski relied on several cameras placed inside and outside the aircraft they shot on. Rather than staging the action sequences later, technology was adapted to capture authenticity.
If that wasn’t enough, the sequel has been shot in 6K!
7. The Cast of Top Gun: Maverick Went Through Intensive Training
Tom Cruise didn’t let the actors get off lightly. Published in behind-the-scenes, all performers had to participate in a three-month-long regimen that included underwater training, being flipped inside an aircraft, and how to survive by building spatial awareness. They progressed from there to the F18 Super Hornet and then to the F22 Raptor. Even in the aircraft, the actors had to learn how to film and direct their own cinematography.
Moreover, as part of their rigorous training, some members of the cast had to spend several weeks on board a Navy aircraft carrier. Regardless of how Top Gun: Maverick performs in cinemas, you can’t fault the cast’s effort to immerse themselves in their characters and boost their onscreen performances.
6. A Sequel Was Written Right After Top Gun’s Successful Release
According to reports, the former sequel plans included Maverick returning to the Top Gun academy as an instructor with a troubled female pilot student.
In the end, the project was dropped after reading the script due to the high cost.
5. Goose’s Real Name is Never Mentioned in Top Gun
Fact is, Goose’s real name is Nick Bradshaw. Played by Anthony Edwards, you can see his name on his flight patch when Maverick recovers his belongings following his death.
4. The Top Gun Trophy Isn’t Real
While Top Gun and its sequel are based on an actual U.S Navy flying school, the trophy does not exist. Participants either succeed or fail the course and move on to higher ranks.
On the contrary, the movie was created in memory of a TOPGUN aviator, Art Scholl, whose tragic demise was reminiscent of Goose’s in the prequel.
3. Director Tony Scott Was Repeatedly Fired During Top Gun
Tony Scott was known for pushing the limits including shooting cockpit footage with actor’s helmet visors down. As a result, he was always at odds with the production team of Top Gun.
Even then the success of Top Gun spanned beyond the film industry, increasing Navy recruitment by 500% in the USA.
2. Thus, Top Gun: Maverick Was Directed by Joseph Kosinski
At center stage, director Joseph Kosinski wove his magic into the sequel. While Kosinski has only directed three feature-length films, they’re major ones. Before directing Top Gun: Maverick, he worked on the superhits Only the Brave, Tron: Legacy, and Oblivion. To his credit, he had already worked with several cast members including Tom Cruise and Miles Teller.
Kosinski isn’t hesitant to make larger-than-life storylines even bigger with graphics, CGI, and special effects!
1. The Sequel Focuses on Developing Maverick’s Character
Top Gun: Maverick is not a remake or a spinoff. The story takes place more than 30 years after the events of Top Gun’s previous saga. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell remains one of the Navy’s top pilots, returning to his roots to avoid getting grounded. In the sequel, Maverick is drawn to confront his mission and fears as the stakes are raised even further.
Is Maverick ready to take the helm and face a younger, more feisty group of pilots?
Sources:
https://movieweb.com/top-gun-maverick-producer-explains-why-the-legacy-sequel-has-rivaled-marvel/
https://people.com/tag/val-kilmer/
https://chillopedia.com/little-known-facts-about-top-gun-and-top-gun-maverick/ https://people.com/movies/rainey-qualley-lewis-pullman-red-carpet-debut-bill-pullman-andie-macdowell-kids/ https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/tom-cruise-top-gun-maverick-172506535.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90cmVuZHMuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMR6Bd0gCOZBGga49BfvB6o21CR6VAMf24fA_VGaxypvUKgXmHoKhagft8OOvLenwjEJvt3PjK0n3xiqO3WgglC0S_XWlU5kg5Fpm7eQ9inBPNWk0w79kOaZBOYqvP_DNDVJhn2N5-ItT-Zy3reAwGQr65jLYFEm_qCZwfcrR1Qp https://movieweb.com/top-gun-maverick-producer-tom-cruise-should-win-an-oscar/
Originally published at https://www.beyondsciencetv.com on August 22, 2022.
