For some time now there have been off-and-on rumours of a sequel to the 1986 classic Top Gun. A film that perfectly encapsulated elements of ’80s culture and helped to launch the superstar careers of Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, Top Gun is as beloved as ever 30 years after its release. So in some ways, a sequel makes perfect sense.
Concrete details and a firm announcement about the sequel have been slow to come, however, so there are some who doubt that the project will ultimately be made. Nevertheless, the following signs seem to indicate that Top Gun 2 will eventually become a reality.
Tom Cruise Is On Board
By far the most important aspect of the Top Gun 2 concept is that Tom Cruise wants to do it. Cinemablend quoted the actor suggesting that he’d be interested in the project on the same condition that he had for the original: that he’s filmed in real jets and in real flights, rather than the jets being put in place by CGI. Given that Cruise got away with these demands in 1986 and is a far bigger star today, it feels very likely he’ll get his wish, which would seem to mean he’s on board. This is also in keeping with a developing trend in filmmaking that almost appears to be a backlash against excessive animation and CGI.
Academy Award frontrunner The Revenant is being widely praised for its director’s determination to film real scenes of nature; Michael B. Jordan really took a knockout punch in the filming of Creed; and even the new Star Wars film involved globe-trekking in search of suitable shooting locations despite the obvious need for CGI for certain sequences. Those are just a few examples from the last year, and Cruise’s vision for Top Gun 2 falls right in line with all of them, demonstrating a determination for realistic filmmaking.
Val Kilmer Is In Too
You just can’t have Maverick without Iceman. It’ll be a little weird for these two characters to start off a film as friends (they can be each other’s wingman any time, after all) rather than rivals. However, Maverick doesn’t have Goose anymore, so perhaps there’s a natural void to be filled. Either way, it would be difficult to imagine a sequel without Val Kilmer. Although there have been conflicting reports regarding his interest, some more recent indications are that he’s up for the project.
Coming Soon revealed that Kilmer announced that he was offered a role and even said that it’s not often you get to say yes to a project without even reading a script. Still, both Kilmer and Cruise have been somewhat cryptic about the whole thing, indicating deep interest but not publicly accepting their roles. It feels as if it’s inevitable, but there may be pieces that need to fall into place.
Suddenly There’s A Game
Sometimes the appearance of a game can go hand-in-hand with the announcement of a film, TV show, etc. It’s a trend we see very often in comic book adaptations and superhero films, but we may actually be seeing it with regard to Top Gun 2 as well. The slots at Betfair are commonly associated with Marvel and DC comics (and other film and TV projects), and recently they’ve added a Top Gun slots game. It’s made in the image of the original, even down to the “Top Gun” logo, so it’s not directly representative of a sequel. But the timing of its appearance while rumours for the sequel are fairly active is certainly suggestive, and this wouldn’t be the first time a video game preceded the announcement of a related film.
A Drone Film Is Coming Out
It’s become very common these days for Hollywood concepts to come out in pairs. We’ve seen multiple Steve Jobs biopics released in a matter of years; Snow White & The Huntsman and Mirror Mirror both released in 2012; and we even saw two different films about attacks on the White House in 2013 (Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down). And now we’re approaching the release of a film called Eye In The Sky that will be about the moral dilemmas posed by the use of drones in warfare.
Plot details are unconfirmed for Top Gun 2, but a lot of the buzz has been about a story surrounding the use of drones and the place of a fighter pilot in today’s airborne conflicts. It may or may not mean anything, but the release of Eye In The Sky could be a sign that Hollywood’s jumping on board the drone theme. And it’s something they could do more with in a Top Gun sequel.
Nothing is certain, but as we move into a new year of film, don’t be surprised if one of the biggest events is the confirmation of this sequel. It certainly seems like a film many fans around the world would enjoy seeing.
