At today’s premiere of the sequel, producer Bruckheimer recalls the difficulties that the saga that Tom Cruise put forward has overcome
36 years ago, few believed that ‘Top Gun’ would become an iconic film for the ’80s generation, least of all for producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who helmed the project with his late partner Don Simpson. “Before the premiere, we had a screening in Houston and the audience reaction was extremely cold. We thought we had the biggest flop in the world,” Bruckheimer recalls. “But we didn’t realize that a shuttle had crashed that weekend and there was an emotional stupor from the audience. The initial reviews were not good either and it looked like we were going to have a disaster. It was impossible to predict what would come next.”
Because what came was madness. The story of the young pilot nicknamed Maverick, Tom Cruise, who loses his copilot Goose (Anthony Edwards), rejoins his old rival Iceman (Val Kilmer) and falls in love with his instructor Charlie (Kelly McGillis) from the history of the cinema, in addition to making Cruise a global superstar, a position he has not lost until now. Three and a half decades after that blockbuster, the second part, “Top Gun: Maverick,” is out today, in which Cruise leads a group of risky “Top Gun” and Jennifer Connelly, his counterpoint.
But why did it take so long to make the sequel? “When we released ‘Top Gun,’ the studio said, ‘We have a movie that’s a hit, we should make a sequel, can it be cheaper?’ But that’s not how I work We let time pass, then Tony Scott died[regisseur van ‘Top Gun’]who would be in charge of the sequel, and we thought it wouldn’t happen again. But seven or eight years ago, we took it more seriously. We brought in director Joseph Kosinski (“Tron: Legacy”), who came up with an idea that we all loved, and took him to Paris, where Tom was filming “Mission Impossible.” After meeting Kosinski, Tom picked up his phone, called the Paramount chief and said, “I’m going to shoot another Top Gun.” Nobody said no, on the contrary, they were happy to hear it,” says Bruckheimer.
There is also some tribute to Scott, who committed suicide in 2012 in circumstances the producer recalls. Toon was great. Tom and I were there the weekend he died with Tony in Nevada. We were there on a Friday to talk about the movie. We flew home together and on Sunday I got the call that he had passed away. very sad and really shocking because Tony was so excited to make the movie The first thing I did when we got ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ out was show it to Ridley (Tony’s brother) who told us he loved it To receive his blessing was very exciting to me.”
Scott’s death was one of the many issues the film faced, which may add to the list of cursed movie titles. And it is that later the pandemic arrived, which postponed the premiere by another two years. But now that the projectors are about to come on, Bruckheimer focuses on the spectacular nature of the film. “The director has managed to put the camera in the plane and let the audience feel what the fighter pilots feel. We spent 15 months trying to put six cameras in the cabin of the planes. We work with Navy technicians and pilots until we reach the necessary space for the camera. Because putting in the cameras meant getting something out of the plane,” he explains.
If ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ repeats the success of the original film, it will at least be due to Tom Cruise’s appeal. “Tom is a genius. He’s earned his place. He deserves success because he works so hard for it,” says Bruckheimer, praising the actor’s dedication to his profession: “He lives his life as a professional athlete. The way what he eats, how he sleeps, everything he does is so he can get better and keep making movies, he’s accomplished everything by studying the industry and surpassing himself.”
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ has not been without critics, however. Actress Kelly McGillis has been left out of the cast. She berates that it was because she is “ugly and fat”. But the producer avoids the controversy and believes there are only artistic reasons for that decision. “Maverick is a man without obligations,” he says. One day he’s sitting at the bar chatting with Penny (Connelly’s character) and the next day he’s in Bahrain. That’s how he is.”
Connelly doesn’t hint at that topic either, thanking Kosinski for calling for “Top Gun.” “He’s a great director. When I read the script, I was impressed. I thought it was a compelling story and they came up with a really good idea for a sequel,” he says.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
