After waiting more than 35 years for a sequel, it’s safe to say that Top Gun fans were given a real treat this summer – with Top Gun: Maverick becoming the highest-grossing film of 2022 so far on the back of a wave of rave reviews.
And given just how successful the film has proven to be, some cinemagoers might be wondering if Tom Cruise will be back in the role of Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell again at some point in the future.
Veteran producer Jerry Bruckheimer was instrumental in getting the new film made, and so in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com to promote its VOD release, we asked him what the chances were of more sequels further down the line.
“Well, we had been working for years to try to get the second one made – it took such a long time,” he responded. “And finally Joe [Kosinski, director] and Tom [Cruise] and McQ [writer and producer Christopher McQuarrie] came together, and we ended up with a movie that we love and our audiences love.
“I can’t tell you what the future is going to bring,” he added. “If you’d asked me in ’86, ‘Do you think you’ll have a sequel out in a few years?’ I’d have said maybe. But it took 30-something years to do it!”
While that’s by no means a sign that we’ll definitely see another film in the franchise any time soon, it’s worth noting that Bruckheimer didn’t rule out the possibility – so there is still a chance Maverick and co will be back on the big screen again.
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Speaking more generally about the ecstatic reaction to the film, Bruckheimer admitted that he was slightly taken by surprise at just how popular it proved – especially with the younger demographic.
“It was an iconic ’86 movie that people remember seeing with their fathers,” he said of the original. “And now they’re the fathers and they wanted to take their sons to see it. But as it turned out, it was a family film – everybody came to see this movie.
“Initially, we were worried that it was mostly for an older audience. But we were wrong – at least I was wrong, I can’t talk for anybody else. And the kids as young as they get came to see this movie multiple times – and are still seeing it multiple times!”
Top Gun: Maverick is now available to own digitally. Visit our Film hub for more news and features or find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide.
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