Top Gun: Maverick Director Thought One Stunt Was Too Dangerous To Perform
There was one stunt in Top Gun: Maverick that the director thought was way too dangerous even try attempting for the movie.
Top Gun: Maverick has been years in the making, mostly due to pandemic-related delays, but that wasn’t the only reason. The highly anticipated film was pushed back from its July 2019 debut because the production team wanted to shoot several complex action sequences. Now, with the movie just a day away from its release, director Joseph Kosinski says there was one particularly risky stunt he thought would be impossible to pull off on set.
Speaking to Comic Book about Top Gun: Maverick, he said there’s a sequence in the middle of the movie where Maverick runs the low-level course by himself. But the stunt was so complicated (not to mention dangerous) that the studio had to get permission from the Navy to fly under 50 ft at about 600 miles per hour. “That’s one of those things that I don’t think will ever be done again,” he told the publication. It’s also worth noting that most of the film’s aerial sequences were shot without CGI, which has become a defining aspect of Tom Cruise’s blockbuster.
The latest death-defying scene can be added to the long list of impressive stunts Tom Cruise has performed throughout his vast career. While some folks think it’s his thrill-seeking personality that prompts him to take on these near-impossible feats, his commitment to realism does wonders for his movies. Reviews for Top Gun: Maverick has received widespread praise from critics, with Deadline calling it superior to the original film. Fans will be able to experience all the action-packed excitement when the film opens in theaters this Friday (May 27th).
Top Gun: Maverick is based on the story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks and serves as a sequel to 1986’s Top Gun. It is directed by Joseph Kosinski from a script by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie. The film sees Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reprise their roles as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, respectively. Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, and Ed Harris also star.
Top Gun: Maverick is set 36 years after the events of its popular predecessor. The story follows Maverick (Tom Cruise), who has managed to dodge promotions to continue his career pushing the limits as a test pilot. Eventually, his choices take him back to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (known as “Top Gun”) where he finds himself training a detachment of graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen.
There he runs into Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, (aka Goose). Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who are chosen to fly it. Top Gun: Maverick will be released worldwide by Paramount Pictures this weekend. It will also be available to stream on Paramount+ just 45 days after its cinematic debut.
