Tom Cruise Basically Got 'Top Gun: Maverick' Greenlit By Picking Up The Phone And Telling The Studio He Was Doing It
It’s become more common nowadays for popular movies to score sequels/follow-ups decades later. In fact, the most commercially successful movie of 2022 falls into this “legacyquel” category, with "Top Gun: Maverick" soaring over $1 billion worldwide on top of earning critical acclaim. So how did Tom Cruise arrange for his return to the role Pete “Maverick” Mitchell? According to producer Jerry Bruckheimer, it was as simple as calling Paramount Pictures and telling the studio he was doing it.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Jerry Bruckheimer on behalf of the "Top Gun: Maverick" digital rollout. After noting how the sequel had been in development since 2010 and hit a setback when Tony Scott, the original "Top Gun’s" director who’d been slated to reprise his helming duties, died in 2012, I asked Bruckheimer at what point he and the other creative minds behind "Maverick" decided that it was still worth moving forward with the movie.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Jerry Bruckheimer on behalf of the "Top Gun: Maverick" digital rollout. After noting how the sequel had been in development since 2010 and hit a setback when Tony Scott, the original "Top Gun’s" director who’d been slated to reprise his helming duties, died in 2012, I asked Bruckheimer at what point he and the other creative minds behind "Maverick" decided that it was still worth moving forward with the movie.
Transcript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Joe had a look book and sat down with Tom
00:26 and said, "Here's a story I wanna tell
00:28 "and here's what it's gonna look like."
00:29 And Tom looked at him and said,
00:30 "Look, Joe, we're gonna make this.
00:32 "We're gonna make it real.
00:33 "I want everybody in those planes.
00:35 "I wanna feel it."
00:36 And Joe said, "That's the only way I wanna make it."
00:39 And Tom picked up his phone
00:41 and called the head of the studio at the time,
00:43 said, "I wanna make another Top Gun."
00:45 And of course they were delighted.
00:47 (upbeat music)
00:50 (upbeat music)
00:53 (upbeat music)
00:55 (upbeat music)
00:58 (upbeat music)
01:00 (upbeat music)
01:03 (upbeat music)