Two Original 'Top Gun' Stars Were Not Asked Back for 'Top Gun: Maverick,' Reason Why Revealed

“Top Gun: Maverick.”Revealing Cruise “really didn’t want to” make a sequel to the hit 1986 blockbuster, Kosinski met with the actor in Paris where he had just half an hour to pitch the project.“So I read the script, I had some ideas, and Jerry [Bruckheimer] liked those ideas. He said, ‘You know what, you gotta go pitch this to Tom directly,'” Kosinski told Polygon.“We flew to Paris, where Tom was shooting Mission: Impossible, we got about a half-hour of his time between setups.”“And I basically had 30 minutes to pitch this film, which I didn’t realize when we were flying over.

Top Gun: Maverick has brought in a huge box office haul on its opening weekend.The sequel to 1986’s Top Gun, which sees Tom Cruise return as Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, has already taken $248million (£196million) worldwide since its release on Friday (May 27).Of those takings, $151million (£119million) were in the US, with the film screening at a record-breaking 4,732 cinemas, the most for any film on its first weekend.This makes Maverick the highest-grossing opening for a non-superhero film since the COVID-19 pandemic began, as well as the first Cruise film to go over the $100million (£79million) mark on opening weekend.It sits behind last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home ($206million/£162million), Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness ($148million/£116million) and The Batman ($106million/£83million).While Cruise returns for the blockbuster, original stars Kelly McGillis (Charlie Blackwood) and Meg Ryan (Carole Bradshaw) are both absent from the film.Explaining the decision not to include the characters, director Joseph Kosinski told Insider: “Those weren’t stories that we were throwing around.“I didn’t want every storyline to always be looking backwards.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorThe original “Top Gun” is a study in Hollywood moviemaking of a certain era — an era captured in the pages of Variety as the movie was birthed starting in mid-1983 until its triumphant release by Paramount Pictures three years later.The movie came together during the period when Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer were at the peak of their powers as red-hot producers of culture-shaking films such as 1983’s “Flashdance” and 1984’s “Beverly Hills Cop.” The film that the pair crafted with numerous screenwriters (more on that in the clips), director Tony Scott and veteran producer Bill Badalato launched Tom Cruise to a new level of stardom and created a legacy sturdy enough for Cruise, Bruckheimer and Paramount to leap back to the top of the box office nearly 40 years later with the long-delayed, made-for-movie-screens sequel “Top Gun: Maverick.”As demonstrated by the steady pace of news about “Top Gun,” Simpson and Bruckheimer had a ton of clout with Paramount and the industry at the time. They even were able to control the rights to the soundtrack for the film — something they learned from the success of “Flashdance” and “Beverly Hills Cop.” Simpson-Bruckheimer Prods.

estimated $124 million in ticket sales, Paramount Pictures said Sunday. Including international showings, its worldwide total is $248 million.It’s a supersonic start for a film that still has the wide-open skies of Memorial Day itself to rake in even more cash. According to projections and estimates, by Monday’s close, “Top Gun: Maverick” will likely have over $150 million.“These results are ridiculously, over-the-top fantastic,” said Chris Aronson, Paramount’s president of domestic distribution.

came out with guns blazing at the domestic box office on Friday.The sequel, starring Tom Cruise reprising his 1986 role as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell alongside Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly and Jon Hamm, raked in $51,800,000, according to the IMDB’s Box Office Mojo database.  “The Bob’s Burgers Movie,” which was released on Friday, trailed in second place, earning $5,700,000.

Pat Saperstein Deputy EditorWith the release of “Top Gun: Maverick,” moviegoers everywhere are excited to revisit the San Diego area onscreen for more adventures from Tom Cruise’s Maverick. Although moviegoers won’t be getting back together with Cruise’s love interest Charlie, played by Kelly McGillis, visitors to Oceanside, Calif. can now visit the site of her cute cottage — and eat some pie while they’re there.In the original film, flight instructor Charlie lived in an adorable oceanfront Victorian known as the Graves house that was so sweet, she even stayed there during filming.

Cruise is known for doing most of his own stunts. For this film he does them all zipping through the clouds and pulling up to eight Gs — a measure of gravitational force experienced through acceleration — which is comparable to 600 pounds pressing against your body. “So just to put it in perspective, it’s a level of power that most people never get to experience,” LaRosa said.The “Top Gun” star owns his own P-51 Mustang (a World War II fighter jet) which LaRosa said the actor flies “like it’s an extension of himself.” Cruise came onto the set with a love for and understanding of aviation, LaRosa said, and really wanted to inspire that passion in his new co-stars, including Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro and Glen Powell.

original “Top Gun” movie debuted in 1986, the blockbuster led to a major bump in Navy recruiting — reportedly a whopping 500%.“I don’t know if that figure is accurate but I will tell you that it definitely had an effect on recruiting if only one guy, which is me,” Captain Brian Ferguson, 53, told The Post. “I saw the movie, thought it looked like the most exciting job in the world.

Tom Cruise and the creative team behind, there were many factors to consider when it came to developing the long-awaited sequel to the beloved 1986 action flick. From a storyline that brought Cruise's character, Pete «Maverick» Mitchell, back on board with a cast of talented young recruits, to the logistics of filming in real-life fighter jets, the producers and stars pulled out all the stops to create a jaw-dropping follow-up to the high-flying original.Of course, that also meant answering some questions about Maverick's closest relationships from the original film.

Top Gun: Maverick (★★★☆☆).The folks in the high-flying sequel might as well be throwing their barbs at Maverick star Tom Cruise, who proved himself a box office draw 36 years ago with the phenomenal success of Top Gun, the film that cemented his brash onscreen persona.The courageous, grinning, gunning Little Engine that will always out-hustle his competition no longer radiates that same insatiable hunger. But Cruise — and Maverick — still move like men with something left to prove.Introduced living in an old Navy air hangar somewhere in the Mojave, Pete Mitchell is still a maverick after all these years, still forgoing a helmet while speeding around on his motorcycle, still ranked captain despite decades in service, and still risking his life for Navy and country as a test pilot for a Mach 9 program.

Top Gun is launching some branded clothing in time for the sequel's release. With Top Gun: Maverick now taking flight, the iconic fashions worn by Tom Cruise have inspired some tees that will spruce up any wardrobe. Unisex options and customisable sizes are available on Lost Universe for the Top Gun logo Navy T-shirt, which is on sale for £15 or a two-for £25 limited time offer if you need a few new fashion options.

The stars of Top Gun: Maverick stepped out in N.Y. and L.A. to support the film at influencer screenings on both coasts!

Val Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, is reflecting on her experience witnessing her father lay down scenes on the set of "Top Gun: Maverick." The 30-year-old actress recalled being present when Kilmer, 62, made his anticipated cameo in the upcoming Tom Cruise flick as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, the arch-nemesis of Cruise’s Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. According to the New York Post, both stars appear together in a scene, reuniting the pair in which Iceman and Maverick Mitchell come face-to-face and each deliver heartwarming performances that marked a culmination for the film franchise.

Tom Cruise set out to make the follow-up film to his beloved 1986 hit,  he knew the success of the story would hinge on not only the storyline and motivations of his character, Pete «Maverick» Mitchell, but in the squadron of young, up-and-coming Navy pilots Maverick is tasked with leading through their near-impossible mission.«We had to find not only the actors that are correct for the roles, or just a great cast, which we have in there — each one of them are extraordinary, charismatic, each one very distinct,» Cruise said in an exclusive ET featurette from the set of the film. «We also, prior to [filming], I had to go look.

Tom Cruise as Pete «Maverick» Mitchell and features a special return from Val Kilmer as now-Admiral Tom «Iceman» Kazansky -- doesn't feature any appearances from the female stars of the 1986 original: Kelly McGillis and Meg Ryan.Ryan's character, Carole, the wife of Maverick's late wingman and best friend Nick «Goose» Bradshaw (played by Anthony Edwards) and mother to Miles Teller's Bradley «Rooster» Bradshaw, is referenced in the sequel and seen in flashback scenes. However, there isn't even a mention of McGillis' Charlie Blackwood, a Top Gun instructor and Maverick's love interested in the original.«Those weren't stories that we were throwing around,» Maverick director Joseph Kosinski told Insider of the actresses' absences.

This month will see the return of beloved genre auteur David Cronenberg (“Crash,” “Naked Lunch”) to the Cannes Film Festival with his anticipated body horror pic “Crimes of The Future,” which boasts an impressive cast that includes Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux, and Kristen Stewart. During a lengthy interview with Variety, the Canadian filmmaker talked about the studio offers he passed on during the 1980s that included a story about an unnamed Lucasfilm executive/representative hanging upon him when they reached out to him about directing “Star Wars: Return of The Jedi” after Cronenberg mentioned he only directs his own material.

Val Kilmer took to Twitter on Friday night to share a "special throwback" picture featuring members of the original "Top Gun" cast. "Here's a very special throwback from the OG Top Gun.

The sequel to Top Gun will be hitting theaters at the end of the month and there are multiple ways to watch the original movie from the comfort of your couch.