'Top Gun: Maverick' Trivia!!!

Usually in all of my reviews that I work on for the Examiner, I usually have a bit of trivia and a few behind the scenes tidbits about the movie that I am reviewing. Due to the length of my 'Top Gun: Maverick' review (which was bigger than usual lol), I skipped the trivia bits.

But, since this movie is being well-liked by everyone who has seen it and is still going strong, here are quite a few trivia/behind the scenes bits for the record-breaking Tom Cruise sequel!

• The WWII P-51 Mustang seen in this movie is actually Tom Cruise's own plane; he's an accomplished pilot in real life.

• At the insistence of Cruise, there are minimal green screen and CGI aerial shots in the film, and even the close up cockpit shots are taken during real in-flight sequences. This meant that much of the cast had to undergo extensive G-force training sessions, to withstand the physical demands of the G-force pressures during flights.

• Dedicated to the memory of the original 1986 'Top Gun' director Tony Scott, who was in the process of developing a version of this sequel before his untimely death.

• According to actor Miles Teller (Rooster), the cast got to choose their own call signs.

• The actors playing pilots not only had to film themselves, turning the camera on and off, they also had to touch up their own make up, adjust their lighting and handle their own sound. The director had to wait on the ground for hours sometimes for the actors to come back with the footage. Adjustments would be made after viewing the footage and the actors would have to go back up for another take.

• Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer are the only actors to reprise their roles from the 1986 movie.

• One of the longest time, 36 years, between a film and its sequel in film history.

• Kilmer reprised his role of Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky despite his battle with throat cancer. Kilmer appears in one scene, and the production used A.I. technology to recreate this voice using old recordings.

• Development of the sequel began in 2010 when Paramount made offers to Bruckheimer and Scott, with Cruise reprising his role. After Scott's death in 2012, the sequel's future remained in question, but producer Bruckheimer remained committed to the project, especially given Cruise's and Kilmer's interest.

• In the beginning, the film was reported to focus on the end of the dog-fighting era, and the role of drones in modern aerial warfare.

• The film's teaser trailer premiered during a surprise appearance by Cruise at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con on July 18, 2019. The teaser received high praise from fans, with many lauding the return of the series.

• It was originally scheduled to be released on July 12, 2019, but was delayed to June 26, 2020, in order to shoot several complex action sequences.

• By March 2020, Paramount moved the release up two days before everything shut down, and was then moved to December 23, 2020.

• On July 23, 2020, the movie was delayed again to July 2, 2021, due in part to scheduling conflicts with Cruise, as well as the recent delays of 'Mulan' and 'Tenet,' and was further delayed to November 19, 2021 before finalizing the May 2022 release date.

• Netflix, Apple TV+ and HBO Max all reportedly attempted to purchase the distribution rights to the film, but Paramount refused to sell them; Bruckheimer, when asked about them and other streaming services attempting to purchase the rights to the film at the Cinema Con premiere, said that there was no other option and that the film had always been a big screen destination.

• At the Cannes premiere, Cruise also denied that the film was going to be streaming. The film will be available on Paramount Plus, but MORE than 45 days after its theatrical release.

• As of June 26, the sequel has earned a massive $521 million and a whopping $1 billion worldwide!

https://youtu.be/5zq7ujKwuRY