Director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have revealed just how difficult training was for the cast of Top Gun: Maverick. The film, which was a sequel to 1986’s Top Gun, featured Tom Cruise reprising his role as the skilled Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. The film featured a series of aerial stunts that showed off the skill of each of the film’s many pilots. However, the reality of filming each shot was far from glamorous.
When speaking at Deadline‘s Contenders LA3C panel, Kosinski and Bruckheimer revealed that Cruise coordinated aerial stunts in Top Gun: Maverick by devising a course for each of the actors that would take three months to complete. Throughout the course, the actors learned to complete many of the stunts without the help of CGI. They weren’t limited to flight training either, as each of the actors also had to be experienced in how to escape a plane in the event of a crash. Bruckheimer specifically said:
“They put them into a cage blindfolded, dump them in the water about six or eight feet down and turn them upside down. They had to figure out how to get out of that cage.”
What’s Next For Top Gun Stars?
The training for Top Gun: Maverick was as thorough as it was difficult, but it showed just how far each actor was willing to go to make the film. Considering how brilliant the effects in Top Gun: Maverick were, it seems reasonable to credit the actors for some of the visual successes, as they were evidently willing to do whatever it took to make those scenes incredible. The fact that they actually managed to complete those stunts showed that they were rarely even acting.
Of course, while Top Gun: Maverick took months of training before it could even begin filming, the actors haven’t taken too much time to recover. Cruise has another film on the way, as he is set to star in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which is set for a July 14, 2023 release. Given that Cruise loves stunts, it is also no surprise that Mission: Impossible 7 director Christopher McQuarrie is teasing a Cruise stunt that should not have been possible. After turning an entire cast into aviators, it seems like no stunt is truly impossible for a dedicated actor like Cruise.
Miles Teller, who appeared as Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick, is similarly set to appear in Apple TV+’s The Gorge, which will be another action-packed thriller, though production has kept details close to their chests. Val Kilmer, who played Iceman, is currently slated to appear in Riptide, a film centering around two sons of a gang leader. Riptide is currently in pre-production, and character details have not yet emerged. Glen Powell, who played Hangman, also has another film on the way, as he is set to star in Hitman, Richard Linklater’s newest movie. Given their upcoming projects, the actors certainly aren’t shying away from major action-filled roles. Hopefully, these titles will let them put their Top Gun: Maverick training to good use.
Source: Deadline