Following star Tom Cruise‘s comments yesterday confirming the Top Gun sequel, Variety reports that director Joseph Kosinski is the frontrunner to helm the long-in-development sequel. Kosinski and Cruise previously teamed up on the film Oblivion, and the outlet reports the director’s vision for the film is what has won him the job. Cruise is apparently eager to start the film too, hoping to begin shooting after production on Mission: Impossible 6 concludes.
A follow-up to Tony Scott’s 1986 hit has been in the works for quite some time with Tom Cruise interested in reprising his role as United States Naval Aviator Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer previously outlined that the film will deal with the rise of unmanned drones and pilots becoming a thing of the past.
Top Gun celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and it was one of the films that made Tom Cruise a household name. Back in 2016, producer Jerry Bruckheimer tweeted a picture of himself and Cruise with the caption, “Just got back from a weekend in New Orleans to see my old friend Tom Cruise and discuss a little Top Gun 2.” Recently, he followed it up with the following post: “In Paris for #PiratesoftheCaribbean press and stopped by the MI:6 set to see TC on the 31st anniversary of Top Gun opening day.”
Top Gun was directed by Tony Scott and also starred Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards and Tom Skerritt. The film won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Take My Breath Away” performed by Berlin. In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
