Jimmy Kimmel takes Tom Cruise’s spot in a Top Gun: Maverick-themed Oscars trailer. Featuring Cruise reprising his iconic role as aviator Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, the long-awaited legacy sequel was released in theaters last Memorial Day weekend to immense commercial and critical success. As a result, Top Gun: Maverick was honored with six nominations at the upcoming Academy Awards, which will be emceed by the returning two-time host Jimmy Kimmel.
Now, with the Academy Awards just under a month away, Kimmel is taking Cruise’s place for a Top Gun: Maverick-themed Oscars trailer (via Jimmy Kimmel Live).
The promo, which parodies an early scene from the sequel in which Maverick is briefed on his mission, features two Top Gun: Maverick stars Jon Hamm and Charles Parnell recreating their roles from the film as they brief Kimmel on his mission – hosting the Oscars. Watch the trailer above.
Will Top Gun: Maverick Win Big At The 2023 Oscars?
Kimmel’s Top Gun: Maverick-themed Oscars trailer is a clear illustration of how Cruise’s action blockbuster will be one of the biggest attractions enticing viewers to tune into the 2023 Academy Awards. Top Gun: Maverick is widely considered one of the best films of the year by critics and audiences, so there is an expectation for it to win big at the Academy Awards. However, there is a lot of stiff competition this year, even from another critically and commercially successful blockbuster, Avatar: The Way of Water, which received four Oscar nominations and beat out Top Gun: Maverick as the highest-grossing movie of the year.
Top Gun: Maverick is nominated at the Oscars in six categories – Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Original Song, and Best Visual Effects. Top Gun: Maverick has a slim chance to take home Best Picture, as Everything Everywhere All at Once seems to be the clear frontrunner in that category. While the nomination was well-deserved, Top Gun: Maverick was lucky just to be nominated for screenplay, so it’s unlikely to win there either.
Where Top Gun: Maverick thrives and therefore has a chance to make some real noise at the Oscars is in the technical categories – Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. Avatar: The Way of Water will likely win for its stunning visual effects, though Top Gun: Maverick is similarly a lock for editing and sound. While Top Gun: Maverick might only end up taking home two Academy Awards, its widely regarded status as one of the best films of the year means it will likely generate a ton of buzz come Oscars night on March 12.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live