Thumbs up if you’re excited to see Tom Cruise return to the screen in a re-release of Top Gun, this time in IMAX 3D!  The 1986 Tony Scott-directed action classic will open in select IMAX 3D theaters on February 8th and run until February 13th.  The remastered edition will also debut on a two-disc Blu-ray in 2D and 3D versions starting February 19th.  A new trailer for Top Gun IMAX 3D is now available for your viewing pleasure and nostalgia.  You have permission to hit the jump, Ghost Rider.

Though development on a sequel to Top Gun appears to have stalled following the tragic death of director Tony Scott, it appears that the 3D re-release of the original will be getting the largest possible exhibition.  We’ve long-known that Scott’s 1986 classic was getting a 3D post-conversion, but Paramount Pictures announced today that the film will be released exclusively in select IMAX 3D screens for a limited engagement starting February 8th.  Fans now have a chance to see that intense slow motion volleyball fighter pilot action on the big, big screen.  Hit the jump for the full press release.

It appears that the Top Gun sequel may be dead.  Director Tony Scott, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and star Tom Cruise were all enthusiastic about returning for a fighter pilot follow-up, and The Town scribe Peter Craig had even been drafted to craft a screenplay, but sadly Scott’s death earlier this year looks to have put the project in limbo.  The New York Times (via The Playlist) reports that Top Gun 2 “has fallen apart,” dashing hopes of seeing a Maverick/Iceman reunion onscreen.

However, Paramount is still moving forward with plans to release a 3D version of the original Top Gun. NYT adds that the studio is considering a February release for the post-converted pic, possibly with a one-week exclusive showing on domestic IMAX screens.   Though I know many were looking forward to seeing what would transpire in Top Gun 2, I can’t help thinking that the follow-up is better left untouched now that Scott is no longer with us.

Tony Scott, the director behind films such as Top Gun, True Romance, The Last Boy Scout, Crimson Tide, and Man on Fire, has reportedly died after jumping off the Vincent Thomas Bridge near Long Beach on Sunday.  The U.S. Coast Guard told The Daily Breeze [via The Wrap] that “a suicide note was found inside Scott’s black Toyota Prius, which was parked on one of the eastbound lanes of the bridge.”  ABC News is now reporting that Scott had inoperable brain cancer.

Reports are still coming in, and we’ll be sure to update this story as we get more information.  This is shocking and tragic news, and our deepest condolences go out to Mr. Scott’s family and friends. [Updated with reactions from the Hollywood community as well as my own thoughts.]

The first synopsis and official images have gone online for Ridley Scott and Tony Scott’s production Labyrinth, a four-hour mini-series adaptation of author Kate Mosse’s bestselling novel.  The story centers on two female protagonists separated by time but united by their shared destiny.  The mini-series stars Jessica Brown Findlay, Tom Felton, John Hurt, Sebastian Stan and Vanessa Kirby.  Hit the jump to check out the synopsis and images.

When last we reported on the status of Top Gun 2, Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz (Thor) were supposedly set to draft the sequel. Apparently that never happened and now Peter Craig (The Town) will be starting from scratch. Not to worry, Mr. Craig, because Tom Cruise has thoughts on what the sequel could be about and just how big a role Maverick would play in it. Concrete plot details are non-existent at the moment, but it does seem likely that Cruise will return along with original director, Tony Scott. Top Gun 2 is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Films and David Ellison’s Skydance Productions for Paramount. Hit the jump to see what Cruise and Scott’s take would be on the sequel’s plot. 

It appears director Tony Scott may have finally settled on his next project. Deadline reports that the Unstoppable director is looking at helming the action pic Lucky Strike. The 20th Century Fox film would star Vince Vaughn as a DEA agent who teams up with a drug runner in order to take down a cartel. It’s not exactly new territory for Scott, who’s recent output has included such action fare as Man on Fire, Déjà Vu and The Taking of Pelham 123. Fox is looking at a possible late summer or early fall start date for the $80 million film. The pic would mark Vaughn’s first toplining role in an action movie, though he did have a prominent part in Steven Spielberg’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

We recently learned that director Shawn Levy is looking at possibly shooting the Vaughn/Owen Wilson comedy Interns this summer, so the late summer/early fall start date makes sense. Scott has been mulling over a number of projects for his post-Unstoppable pic, including Hell’s Angels, a remake of The Wild Bunch, and Top Gun 2. Scott attached himself to a similar-sounding drug trafficking actioner called Narco Sub last November, but there’s no word as to the status of that project.

While most of us were busy stuffing our faces over the holiday weekend, Tony Scott and 20^th Century Fox discussed illegal drug trafficking. The Unstoppable producer/director is now lined up to direct Narco Sub, a drug-centric action thriller based on a spec script by David Guggenheim (Safe House). As of now, the plot details are being kept quiet, but the title indicates it will have something to do with submersible crafts used by South American drug cartels to smuggle product into the states. Although Denzel Washington has been a staple in many of Scott’s films, there is no news on his involvement at the moment. Hit the jump for more on Narco Sub.

Back in March we learned that Ridley and Tony Scott would be producing a mini-series adaptation of Kate Mosse’s best-selling novel Labyrinth, and now we finally have word on the cast coming together for the project. THR reports John Hurt (V for Vendetta) has just signed on to star in the project with Sebastian Stan of (Captain America: The First Avenger), Katie McGrath (Syfy’s Merlin) Emun Elliott (Game of Thrones) also signed on along with British actors Janet Suzman (Nicholas and Alexandria), Jessica Brown-Findlay (Downton Abbey), Vanessa Kirby (The Hour) and Italian actress Claudia Gerini (The Passion of the Christ). That’s an interesting assembly of talent for a mini-series that will likely get attention come Emmy time next year. The project is in the hands of director Christopher Smith (Black Death) working from a script by Primeval writer Adrian Hodges, and production is slated to begin in France next month. For a full synopsis of the novel, hit the jump.

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking “You know what would make for some great 3D? Shirtless guys playing volleyball in slow motion,” then today’s your lucky day. Tony Scott’s testosterone-heavy Top Gun is being converted to 3D for a theatrical re-release. THR reports that Legend3D is handling the conversion, and they hope to have the film ready for release in early 2012. However, the report states that they want to get Scott’s approval before they move forward, so it sounds like the helmer isn’t directly involved in the conversion.

The Tom Cruise-starrer is classically cheesy, with some choice dialogue between Cruise’s Maverick and his rival Iceman, played by Val Kilmer. The aerial flying scenes may actually look pretty cool in 3D if the conversion is high quality. A sequel to Top Gun has been in the works for a while, with Christopher McQuarrie writing the screenplay and Scott possibly returning to direct. Until then, it looks like we’ll be getting some super intense shirtless 3D volleyball soon. Except for Goose, because Anthony Edwards wasn’t allowed to take his shirt off.

Following today’s fairly shocking news that Ridley Scott is set to direct a follow-up to his sci-fi classic Blade Runner, Ridley’s brother Tony is now gearing up for a remake of the 1969 film The Wild Bunch.  Scott is in talks to helm a reboot of the classic, which tells the story of an aging outlaw gang on the Texas-Mexico border. Jerry Weintraub (Ocean’s Eleven) is producing and Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential) is writing the screenplay.

The Wild Bunch isn’t the only film on Scott’s plate at the moment, as he has quite a few projects that he’s currently mulling over. The director’s follow-up to Unstoppable looks to be the non-train-on-the-loose pic Hell’s Angels, which centers around the 2001 Laughlin riots when the Angels were caught up in a war with a rival gang. Hit the jump for more details on Hell’s Angels, including the possible casting of Jeff Bridges, and updates on Scott’s other projects.

We just recently heard that FX is setting sail with the period drama series Port Royal, but now Fox is looking at setting up another period drama series with Pyrates. Deadline reports filmmakers Ridley and Tony Scott are behind the series which is being set-up as a limited, event-type series with 10-13 episodes planned for summer 2012. Law & Order producer Barry Schindel and 24 director and producer Stephen Hopkins created the series which will feature a gritty, fact-based story about the men and women who pulled off the largest heist on pirate history — the capture of the Spanish silver fleet in 1628 — sparking the golden age of piracy, a time when there was greater honor amongst thieves than those who hunted them. Sounds like Ocean’s 11 meets Pirates of the Caribbean, but likely without the comedy (and hopefully without the boredom of On Stranger Tides). The question is whether or not audiences are interested in two different pirate-centric series.

We just recently learned that the Emmy categories for TV miniseries and made-for-TV movies will be combined next year to allow for a little steeper competition. Now we have word on one of the projects that could end up getting a nomination in the combined category as Variety reports filmmaking brothers Ridley and Tony Scott are developing a TV miniseries adaptation of Kate Mosse’s best-selling novel Labyrinth. Scott Free last teamed up with Tandem Communications for The Pillars of the Earth, and the two are back together for this four-hour adaptation with Adrian Hodges (writer and producer of Primeval series) scripting. Hit the jump for the official synopsis of the book.

Tony Scott is one of those directors where you have no idea if he’s going to deliver a modestly successful studio film, or something out of its mind. Top Gun, Enemy of the State, Spy Game suggests a director who knows how to deliver what studios want.  Butt then sometimes, like with True Romance, or Domino he takes a chance and goes for broke in ways that either work great or are nigh unwatchable. Then you have a film like Man on Fire that’s both a studio picture, and a borderline experimental movie. Unstoppable is Scott in studio picture mode, but it’s unmistakably a Tony Scott film. Such is his filmmaking. Denzel Washington stars as Frank, an older guy in the train business who’s been recently partnered with Will (Chris Pine), a rookie with the right last name to get ahead. They start a gruff working relationship, but they’re forced to get along and do their jobs when they have to stop a runaway train with the destructive force of a missile the size of the Chrysler building… or at least that’s what controller Connie (Rosario Dawson) says. My review of the Blu-ray of Unstoppable follows after jump.

For the 150^th anniversary of America’s deadliest war, Ridley Scott and his brother Tony are teaming up with the History Channel to produce Gettysburg, a new feature documentary which reinvents how we look at the historic battle. In the four years of conflict between the Union and Confederate armies, over 600,000 American lives were lost. So it’s quite fitting that the Gettysburg is being described as “a visceral, terrifying experience.”

The Scott brothers plan to use re-enactment footage alongside CGI in order to tell the story of the soldiers on the ground. Gettysburg will be one part of a week-long theme event dedicated to the Civil War on The History Channel. This commemoration will be an annual event on the channel for the next four years. Hit the jump for more on the project, including what Ridley had to say, as well as what other programs The History Channel has in store for their Civil War-themed week. [Update: We've added the official press release to this story.  You can read it after the jump.]