There are terrific movies, and then there are movies that become era-defining masterpieces, remembered for how good they were decades later. There will be no points awarded for guessing which category Top Gun belongs to, because it did not become the highest-grossing film of its era by accident!
This was probably one of the best and most iconic military films in history, with action, drama, emotion, and a great deal of style. Tom Cruise’s portrayal as military pilot Maverick became a popular character who was associated with patriotism.
Generations have viewed the film since then, and the adrenaline-pumping action has never gotten old. Neither did Tom Cruise – he simply does not age – and the fans’ long wait is about to come to an end. Top Gun: Maverick is poised to enter theaters shortly, and the memorable 1986 smash is returning in a new form.
We bring you everything you might have missed out on in this video, as well as all the behind-the-scenes things that make watching movies more enjoyable! We have also got some news on the future film, so stay still and watch as the quickest planes zoom by the screen!
A magazine article was the real inspiration
This has to be one of the strongest inspirations for a film – not a novel, not a movie, but a simple magazine article! The article came from a magazine in California, and it was called Top Guns. This brilliant piece of work was written by Ehud Yonay, who explored the life of fighter pilots in the Naval Air Station in San Diego.
Their thrilling routines, near-death experiences, adventures, and regular life, everything were discussed in this article, and the makers of Top Gun thought they could make something far more entertaining out of it. Clearly, they weren’t wrong and Top Gun became the pinnacle of action movies involving the US Naval forces, and their fighter jet wing!
The biggest incentive for Tom Cruise was riding in an F14
Many of you might know that Tom Cruise was not the first choice for this role. As tough as it may be to imagine anyone else as Maverick, John Travolta was the first one to be approached for the role. However, the deal never materialized because he was too expensive and his recent box-office record was not encouraging enough. Other actors who were considered for the role included the likes of Sean Penn, Nicholas Cage, John Cusack, and even Tom Hanks.
The co-producer of Top Gun, Jerry Bruckheimer, later revealed that even Tom Cruise was not very keen to join the project as Maverick. The makers were impressed by the actor’s work in Risky Business a few years ago, and they were convinced that he would be the perfect fit for the role. When Tom Cruise seemed hesitant, the producers decided to take a rather creative route to get the star to agree.
They sent him to the Naval Air Facility in El Centro, and he was given a ride in an F-14. If you are remotely familiar with the adventure-loving nature of Tom Cruise, you will guess what happened next! Yes, the actor was immediately on board, and the next phone call sealed the deal for the makers. The guy who has his own pilot’s license would surely not let go of the thrills of being on such a mean machine!
A tragic crash left a stunt pilot dead
One of the first things that you will notice about Top Gun is how real the action scenes in fighter jets look! Well, this did not just happen out of thin air and the stunt team was one of the most daring and capable teams put together. Top Gun was privileged to enjoy the services of famed stunt pilot Art Scholl, and he would often maneuver the camera-equipped aerobatic biplane capturing the scenes.
He was well known for his stunt flying at various air shows, and he would perform loops and rolls on his aircraft effortlessly. On that fateful day, however, he was performing an upside-down spin to get the perfect footage for Top Gun. This was off the coast of northern San Diego County, and the aircraft lost control and plunged into the depths of the Pacific. “I’ve got a problem here” – this was all that was heard on the radio and the braveheart was lost in the pursuit of achieving the perfect shot! The accident just goes on to show how unpredictable the life of a pilot can be because luck can run out for even the most experienced ones out there!
Top Gun is a real flight school
The US Navy actually has a Fighter Weapons School called Topgun, and it was founded way back in the 1960s. The main purpose of this school was to bring about a batch of super-skilled pilots who would ensure air superiority in Vietnam and reduce the loss of aircraft in the war.
It was initially based in San Diego, but later it relocated to Fallon in Nevada. While the movie did take inspiration from a real department in the US navy and also got a lot of support from them, the real Top Gun school doesn’t take too kindly to the movie references. In fact, there is a rule that anyone quoting from the movie or trying to be a wisecrack will have to cough up five dollars as a penalty. Understandably, style and swag in the movies do not translate into military discipline!
Top Gun enjoyed absolute support from the US Government and Navy
It is not often that Pentagon works hand-in-hand with filmmakers, and when they do, you can be sure that the purpose is far greater! In this particular instance, they knew that Top Gun could inspire the youth of the country and make them join the defense forces. For this reason, and to instill patriotism in the viewers, they decided to help the makers of Tom Gun on various levels. Firstly, they charged only $1.8 million dollars for the extensive use of aircraft carriers and warplanes for the movie.
This might seem too expensive, but the cost is far more exorbitant, and this is mere peanuts considering the actual cost of utilizing such facilities and flying such advanced airplanes. Four navy pilots were also helping the crew out with some technicalities, and the support proved invaluable in the pre-CGI era! After the grand success of the film, it became a successful recruiting tool for the Navy.
They opened stalls outside the theaters and people were so inspired and amazed after watching the movie that many would sign up to join. Most people who joined the air force or the naval force in the following years had watched the movie and it was an impactful piece of cinema that inspired thousands to serve their country!
However, all the assistance came at a price and the makers had to submit the scripts to Pentagon for some subtle edits here and there. For instance, Goose’s death scene was changed from a midair collision to an ejection scene, and in several other aspects the movie had to cooperate with the military. But it is understandable because Pentagon wouldn’t want the image of the defense forces to be affected adversely in any way. Nothing short of glory could make it to the screens!
Technical Inaccuracies still exist
Well, in their defense, a movie that doesn’t ever claim to be historically accurate can have a few creative liberties here and there. Top Gun has been guilty of a few technical inaccuracies, but these are always common in fiction. The Mig-28s that you see in the movie are simply black-pained Northrop F-5E because obviously, Russia wouldn’t contribute to the cause of Top Gun with their planes!
We are pretty sure that the real Top Gun classes don’t take place in a hanger, and the technical talk between the pilots is also found to be grossly inaccurate. Whenever you see Maverick putting on the brakes, he is actually pushing the throttle forward, and in real life, this would have caused the plane to go into an afterburner climb. The air brake is hardly effective for F-14 aircraft because it cannot be deployed at full power.
Besides these technicalities, the kind of arrogance and insubordination shown in certain instances by the pilots is not something that people can get away with in the armed forces. Excellence without arrogance is the Navy’s motto, and they strictly abide by order and discipline. It was a bummer to learn that there is no Top Gun trophy in real life, but we wholeheartedly support the inclusion in the movie just for the emotional kick!
Director Tony Scott was controversy’s favorite child
Ever heard of a director who was fired three times during production? Here comes Tony Scott, ladies, and gentlemen, the daring director who often strayed from the instructions provided to him. He was fired on multiple occasions by the makers because he simply refused to oblige to the set themes.
For instance, he was determined to make Kelly McGillis look alluring and appealing, and this was considered to be a big no-no for the studio. This was supposed to be a fierce young lady with no room for physical appeal, but the director felt otherwise! The end result seems like a middle ground and we surely aren’t complaining! You might be amused to know that the likes of David Cronenberg and John Carpenter were considered for directing Top Gun. If we know anything about their works, they would have made the movie a lot darker and more violent than it was!
All about the soundtrack
Top Gun was blessed with some heart-warming soundtracks that were fun and groovy at the same time. Hits like Take My Breath Away and Danger Zone became huge hits with the fans, and it soon became the number one album on the charts. Millions of copies were sold, and the craze for the music of Top Gun was no less than the movie itself. However, not everyone knows that Bryan Adams was first approached to use one of his songs in the movie. The Top Gun team wanted to use the song, Only the Strong Survive, but the legendary singer did not agree to the conditions. He felt that the movie simply glorified war, and he wanted to have no part to play in it.
Test Audience wanted more romance
It is probably not the most popular idea to have tons of romance in a military action flick, but the test audience seems to have thought otherwise. They felt that the movie lacked the element of romance, and a solid love scene might change that for the better.
The demands were almost unanimous, and the makers were inclined to give in. This is when the lift scene was conceived, and the sequence was shot after everything else was wrapped up. It also posed a few problems because Kelly McGillis had already cut her hair short and dyed it dark for another role. The scene shows her in a baseball cap to cover the changes, and the scene being in silhouette helps the cause. In fact, even the shirtless scenes were added later, and it was arranged so that Tom Cruise could show off his ripped body for his female fans.
Flying in Fighter Jets is no child’s play
Top Gun is almost symbolic for the ultra-realistic flight sequences, dog fights in the air, and other such stuff that involve super-past fighter jets. In order to make things look real, actual fighter jets were used for the purpose. It was a massive pocket pinch for Paramount, and flying an F-14 for only one hour would cost up to $10000. This was after all the concessions and aid from the government and the navy! You can only imagine what the actual costs were like! Besides the incredible cost, there was another major problem to deal with.
Most of the cast and crew were not comfortable when they had to jump into these mean machines flying at incredible speeds. Pretty much everyone would get sick after flying and Anthony Edwards, the guy who played Goose, was the only one who didn’t vomit after flying at supersonic speeds! Even the mighty Tom Cruise had a couple of uncomfortable moments to deal with. He, however, went on to perfect his flying skills over time, and we can tell you with certainty that the new Top Gun movie posed no problems for him whatsoever!
Kelly McGillis’ character was based on a real woman
We all loved the fierce, determined, and strong character of Charlie, and her chemistry with Maverick was one of the most adorable things about the movie. This character, however, was inspired by a real-life navy employee named Christine Fox. She was a couple of inches taller than Kelly McGillis, and she was a mathematician who worked at the Center for Naval Analyses. She was known to be the perfect diva – the badass lady with a killer attitude, and this prompted the makers to base the character of Charlie on her.
Christine Fox also served as the acting US Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2013 to 2014, and this made her the highest-ranked female officer in the defense sector. While Kelly McGillis was a wonderful selection, there was a slight problem with her height. She stood three inches taller than Tom Cruise at 5’10”, and she had to act barefoot in order to deal with the height difference.
The beef between Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise
You must have noticed that Maverick and Iceman were not the best of friends in the movie! This rubbed off on the actors as well, and Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer who played the respective roles never got along on the sets. They would hardly communicate with each other apart from the bare essentials, and the bonhomie between the actors was completely missing. However, their real-life turned out to be very similar to the way their characters buried the hatchet and became each other’s wingmen. They soon became great pals, and the friendship continued all these years.
It is reported that Tom Cruise was by his friend’s side during his battle with cancer in the recent past. Val Kilmer was still eager to return as Iceman, and Tom Cruise ensured that nothing came between his friend’s wishes to star in the upcoming movie. He is about to return in a cameo role, and it is going to be an emotional moment watching the two best wingmen together again!
How Tom Cruise rescued Ray-Ban!
Ray-Ban – the iconic sunglass brand took a nosedive during the early 80s in terms of their sales figures. The brand which was instrumental in developing anti-glare sunglasses for the defense personnel and pilots in particular, was struggling to appeal to the masses to use their products as a fashion statement. Just when their jump from being a military accessory to a fashion accessory seemed to be failing, Tom Cruise came to the rescue!
He previously helped their sales after wearing their iconic Wayfarers in Risky Business, which was released in 1983. For Top Gun, there were plenty of scenes where Tom Cruise sported their classic aviators. It immediately became a fashion craze, and the sales shot up to over 40%. Today, the company is growing stronger than ever, and it still must be thanking the remarkable contribution that came from the Tom Cruise brand of promotions!
The Infamous Tarantino monologue
The movie Sleep with Me, which released in 1994 is not as popular as one of its monologues by Quentin Tarantino. In this brief monologue, Tarantino regards Top Gun as a gay flick that deals with a man’s struggle with his homosexuality. His interpretation of Top Gun suggested that Maverick was gay and confused about his sexuality. He is right on the edge, and the character of Charlie is trying to convince him that he can be straight.
Meanwhile, the likes of Iceman and his crew, are tempting him to give in and embrace being gay. This explains all the tension between them in the locker room, and the fun interpretation by Tarantino had everyone thinking deeper. While the plausibility of the theory can be debated, Top Gun producer Jerry Bruckheimer takes it as a compliment. In an interview with Vulture, he was sporting enough to say that all interpretations are welcome, and he is proud of the movie either way!
Top Gun: Maverick – After 35 years
If I had a dollar for every instance that I heard something about a Top Gun sequel releasing soon, I would have made a fortune! It was an agonizing waiting period for all the fans, and after over thirty-five years, we are finally going to witness one of the most sought-after sequels of the decade! The direction is being handled by Joseph Kosinski, and the premiere and previews have been greeted by a remarkable response.
Besides Tom Cruise, the movie also stars the likes of Miles Teller, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmer among others. People have called Tom Cruise’s performance sensational, and some have gone ahead to suggest that the movie shows the actor’s true passion for filmmaking. Many have claimed that the movie surpasses the original in every way, and it will be regarded as one of Tom Cruise’s best performances ever.
The story continues to be about the ace pilot Maverick, who is training a fresh batch of graduates after 30 years of dignified service as a pilot. However, he must confront his old fears and the ghosts of his past come back to haunt him one more time! It all boils down to another deadly mission, and the price of victory will be the ultimate sacrifice! The movie is all set to be another box-office magic, and we would love to watch Top Gun’s legacy continue with this sequel!
Top Gun: Maverick – stealing the show with practical effects!
“What Tom Cruise does for fun is other people’s hell” – when Miles Teller said this in an interview, he simply couldn’t be more accurate! While talking about the superhuman efforts that put together a fine show of practical effects to get the job done for the new movie, the cast and crew have hailed Tom Cruise’s idea to have a three-month training camp. Special movies require special efforts, and who better than Tom Cruise to lead the way! The film crew was an experienced lot, but it still required some serious guts to pull off the unbelievable air-acrobatics with some of the fastest planes around!
Tom Cruise spoke about the rigorous preparation mode and the immense help from the Navy once again. Learning the tricks to place the cameras on the insides and outsides of the aircrafts, getting the right shots at the right time, and other such technicalities had to be mastered before the magic could happen before your eyes! The best part was that the crew got to work with the real Top Gun, and hence, there was no question of anything less than excellence!
The actor also talked about the challenges they faced while being inside the plane’s cockpit. They could no longer see the camera, and yet, the perfection of the scene depended on their performances. It was all about communication because the actors could only check the footage after coming back to base. All we can say is that watching the movie in the theaters will be an experience of a lifetime because the stunts are too close to reality, and the adrenaline rush in the audience certainly promised!