Top Gun 2 is one of those long-in-development projects that pops up in the news cycle with predictable regularity. And it's easy to see why -- it's a well-known IP with one of the few remaining true "Movie Stars" of the modern era. And yet, Tom Cruise and Co. have had some difficulty cracking the code to make the sequel work. But if a recent meeting between Cruise and producer Jerry Bruckheimer is any indication, the project may be back on track.
Cruise was originally working on it with Top Gun director Tony Scott and his regular collaborator Christopher McQuarrie (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation), before Peter Craig (The Town) was brought on to draft a script, but the project all but fell apart after Scott's death in 2012.
Of course, in the current entertainment landscape, which is awash in reboots, sequels, prequels, and every conceivable reincarnation of beloved properties, the opportunity tot turn a beloved film into a franchise isn't just going to fade into obscurity. Indeed, in 2014, The Jungle Book scribe Justin Marks was brought on to pen the script, which would find Maverick confronting the end of the fighter pilot era in the face of drone warfare. Most recently, Val Kilmer threw his hat in the sequel rumor ring with a Facebook post saying he accepted a part in Top Gun 2 without seeing a script. Naturally, many were dubious, but Bruckheimer took to his Twitter last night and posted some photographic evidence that he and Cruise are, at the very least, still discussing the film.
All told, it's a move that makes sense. Like I said above, there's huge franchiseability potential in Top Gun, especially with a star like Tom Cruise as the returning headliner. And Cruise is as Savvy a businessman, who has a known preference for returning to work with the collaborators he favors. However, it could be more a question of when than if given Cruise's non-stop schedule.
Last year, Cruise wrapped on his drug-smuggling thriller Mena before heading directly into production on Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. He'll be in production on Mission Impossible 6 by this summer, and as was recently announced, he's also set to headline Universal's The Mummy reboot in a role that is rumored to crossover with their other Monsterverse films. Which means, if Top Gun 2 is going to happen, it's not going to happen for a while.
What do you guys think? Do you want Top Gun 2 to happen? Are you hungry to see the young gun all grown up? Is Tom Cruise actually the Energizer Bunny? Sound off in the comments below.
