Whatever happens during the rest of the year, Top Gun: Maverick is guaranteed to go down as one of the most successful movies of 2022, with the sequel having grossed almost $1.5 billion worldwide.
As well as those phenomenal box office figures, the film has also been a huge hit with critics, and indeed the rave reviews have led some pundits to believe it might even have a shot at a few Oscar nominations – including for its main star.
During an exclusive interview to promote the film’s VOD release, RadioTimes.com asked the film’s producer Jerry Bruckheimer what he thought of its awards chances, and he admitted he’d love for the film to be honoured by the Academy.
“That’s up to the Academy, not up to us,” he said. “But everybody likes to get awards and be acknowledged for their accomplishments – and there’s nothing more important than an Academy nomination or award for filmmakers.”
Asked more specifically if he thought Tom Cruise could be a contender in the Best Actor category, he responded: “Well I think he’s brilliant in the movie. He goes through a lot of emotions – it’s a superb acting job, not only on the ground, but also in the air.
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“You see what he goes through. It’s very, very difficult to get seven, eight times your bodyweight pushing on you. And he was doing it two hours a day and sometimes four hours a day and sometimes six hours a day!
“He is a very committed actor,” Bruckheimer added. “He worked very hard on the script with us, worked very hard with all the cast, made sure that he rehearsed with them. It was really a force to watch these men work.”
The original Top Gun film – released back in 1986 – was itself an Oscar winner, with Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock taking home the Best Original Song Award for the iconic song Take My Breath Away, performed in the film by Berlin.
It also secured nods for Best Film Editing, Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing – so it will be very interesting to see if its successor can go one better and land nominations in some of the major categories.
Read more: Top Gun: Maverick producer addresses likelihood of more sequels
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