Top Gun: Maverick finally came out in 2022, being the long-awaited follow-up to the 1986 classic, and this massive time gap can be explained by Tom Cruise initially being hesitant to return for a Top Gun sequel. Despite the original Top Gun being one of Cruise’s most iconic films, it took decades for a sequel to come out. Although the eventual Top Gun 2 was a hit, becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, many viewers have wondered why it took so long for the film to get made. So, here’s why Tom Cruise hesitated to make Top Gun: Maverick for so long, according to the actor.
Top Gun: Maverick is considered to be one of the best legacy sequels ever made, mixing the old cast of Tom Cruise’s Maverick and Val Kilmer’s Iceman with new characters like Miles Teller’s Rooster and Glen Powell’s Hangman. Despite it coming out nearly four decades after the original film, Top Gun: Maverick went on to gross over $1.4 billion, making it an even bigger success than the original. Despite this success, very little has been said about Tom Cruise’s Top Gun 3, mirroring the original mystery around Top Gun 2. Because of this, some have been looking back to Cruise’s past in search of answers surrounding Top Gun 2’s development.
Tom Cruise Thought Making Top Gun Sequels Would Be “Irresponsible”
As it turns out, Tom Cruise was initially opposed to making Top Gun 2, explaining that making a sequel would be irresponsible. After over four years and no word on a sequel, Playboy asked Tom Cruise about the potential of a second Top Gun film in a 1990 interview, and Cruise gave a pretty shocking answer. According to Cruise, some perceived Top Gun as right-wing propaganda designed to promote the U.S. Military. Cruise was worried that a litany of Top Gun sequels would cause kids to think that war is fun and that the potential to skew audiences’ perceptions with a sequel would be “irresponsible.” Here’s Cruise’s full quote:
OK, some people felt that Top Gun was a right-wing film to promote the Navy. And a lot of kids loved it. But I want the kids to know that that’s not the way war is—that Top Gun was just an amusement park ride, a fun film with a PG-13 rating that was not supposed to be reality… That’s why I didn’t go on and make Top Gun II and III and IV and V. That would have been irresponsible.
Tom Cruise’s comments on Top Gun’s propagandistic potential may be surprising to some fans, but they actually make sense. The U.S. Navy was heavily involved in the production of Top Gun, providing equipment, training, and filming locations. The Navy also had to approve of Top Gun’s script, making changes to the film based on geopolitical circumstances. For example, the Navy requested that Top Gun change the opening dogfight to take place over international waters rather than over Cuba. On top of that, the Navy also made changes to Maverick’s relationship with Charlie as well as toning down the language.
How Tom Cruise Was Convinced To Return For Top Gun: Maverick
Despite Tom Cruise’s initial hesitancy to return for Top Gun: Maverick, he eventually changed his mind. Cruise was convinced by director Joseph Kosinski, who flew to Paris to directly pitch the film to Tom Cruise. Throughout the pitching process, Kosinski realized that Cruise didn’t want to do the film. However, according to Kosinski, this all changed when Crusie realized that the emotional core of the sequel would be the relationship between Maverick and Rooster. This dynamic was enough to bring Cruise back for Top Gun: Maverick, with him calling the studio and greenlighting the film right after the pitch (via Screen Daily).
Cruise had apparently changed his mind about working with the Navy since the original Top Gun, as Top Gun: Maverick again heavily involved the United States Navy in the film’s production. However, due to Top Gun: Maverick giving a greater focus to the dynamic between characters rather than glorifying war and the action scenes, the sequel’s potential for propaganda may have been lower in Cruise’s eyes. The road to Top Gun 2 was a long one, but despite his initial hesitancy, Tom Cruise finally agreed to make Top Gun: Maverick.
Would Top Gun 3 Work Without Tom Cruise?
Tom Cruise may again be hesitant to return for a sequel to Top Gun: Maverick, causing many to wonder if Top Gun 3 will work without Tom Cruise. Tom Crusie not only plays the main character, but he is also one of the big factors behind the sequel’s success, with his star power being what brought so many fans back to theaters. However, the story of Top Gun 3 shouldn’t be about Tom Cruise’s Maverick. Top Gun: Maverick concluded Maverick’s arc, meaning that Top Gun 3 needs to be about Rooster, Hangman, and the other new characters.