'Top Gun' and 8 Other Times The Government Worked With Hollywood

With the lead-up and release of the highly anticipated (and excessively delayed) Top Gun: Maverick, the public was being treated to a publicity tour with a spotlight on the U.S. Navy and Air Force. Just as it was 36 years ago with the release of the original Top Gun, the film's producers engaged the help of the American federal government with the making of the film in something of an unofficial partnership.

Top Gun: Maverick is the latest instance of Hollywood and the government working together. Whether it's a filmmaker looking for ultra-realism with the use of hardware and technology or a screenwriter looking for inside stuff to punch up a script, the relationship between Tinseltown and elected officials has been in place and fruitful for quite some time.

'Apollo 13' (1995)

Apollo 13 is a '90s classic that dramatizes the tense situation in 1970 when a space mission to the moon experienced significant issues. Director Ron Howard was committed to accuracy, so he brought on the help of NASA to bring as much realism as possible. Actors such as Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon attended astronaut flight training.

The filmmakers also gained permission to shoot critical scenes using NASA's infamous "Vomit Comet," which allows passengers to experience weightlessness.

'Top Gun' (1986)

One of the true partnerships between Hollywood and the government,1986's Top Gun can almost be seen as an Air Force recruitment film. Based on a 1983 California magazine article spotlighting Lieutenant Commander Charles "Heater" Healey, a U.S. Air Force fighter, Top Gun was aided significantly in its making. As early as the script production, writers attended declassified TOPGUN classes to learn about flying an F-14.

The Air Force made a wide range of services and equipment available to the films' production, including F-14s, Aircraft carriers, and even a future astronaut to fly the plane. They even played a part in convincing star Tom Cruise to sign on to the film, who was initially hesitant. In a recent article, producer Jerry Bruckheimer details the story....."So they (the Navy) take Tom up there, and they do five Gs. They do barrel rolls, they do everything. He's heaving in the plane. He gets on the tarmac, runs to a pay phone ... and he said, 'I'm in. I'm doing the movie. I love it. This is great.'"

'Crimson Tide' (1995)

Hollywood heavyweights Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman lead this intense thriller about an American nuclear submarine crew that gets thrown into a grim situation where decisions made could have dire consequences for millions worldwide. When producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer wanted to bring this story to the big screen, they went straight to the source. The Navy invited writers Michael Schiffer and Richard Henrick to sail aboard the submarine U.S.S. Florida with their Gold Crew in 1993, so they could conduct research for the film.

The film was initially pitched as "Hunt for Red October meets 2001: A Space Odyssey," where a computer on the ship was trying to launch missiles to start World War III. Upon learning that the storyline would be implausible as there were no computers on board a vessel capable of "self-launching," the producers changed the story to a crew mutiny. The Navy then retracted their support for the film, as they didn't want to back the idea of an American crew turning on each other. However, Bruckheimer and Simpson were very sly getting usable footage of submarines in the water when they paid a tipster to let them know when the ships were going out to see and then dispatched helicopters and a film crew to "illegally" film them.

'Battleship' (2012)

In many critical circles, 2012's Battleship got raked over the coals. The truth is, it's a fantastic over-the-top invasion movie that provides genuinely entertaining moments. Based on the popular board game of the same name, director Peter Berg was all-in with the production and promotion of this movie right from the get-go.

Berg has tremendous respect for all areas of the U.S. military, and his reputation, along with how positively the Navy was going to be portrayed, convinced the government to get involved with the making. Berg spent plenty of time with Naval crews on actual battleships to get a sense of the camaraderie of the crew so that he could work it into the story. The Navy also allowed the crew to final critical scenes using locations, hardware, and personnel.

'Armageddon' (1998)

A massive space rock is days away from destroying the earth, and only Bruce Willis, with his band of deep-sea drillers, can save it. Hot off his last two mega-blockbusters Bad Boys and The Rock, director Michael Bay delivered one of the best action sci-fi films ever. Armageddon was a tremendous hit in 1998, with almost $200 Million earned at the U.S. box office, bested only byTitanic.

To achieve the movie's stunning visuals and action sequences, Bay went straight to NASA to get their help. The Shuttle launch was filmed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the scene between Grace (Liv Tyler) and Harry (Willis) was filmed at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex. Filming also took place at NASA’s six million-gallon neutral buoyancy tank at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. NASA was also consulted on several of the film's procedural elements and their medical screening testing that weeds out unfit pilots.

'Zero Dark Thirty' (2012)

The harrowing story of the most famous capture in US military history. Zero Dark Thirty (military slang for "nighttime") chronicles the decade-long search for Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6.

There were many controversies when this film was released, with some criticisms accusing the Obama administration of divulging classified details about the raid and its lead-up. Recently declassified documents confirm that the filmmakers worked with the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A) with regard to getting the details right. At the agency's request, certain plot points were omitted from the final film, and others were tweaked to their specifications.

'Thirteen Days' (2000)

The dramatic true story of what transpired behind the scenes in the White House during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The title refers to the duration of time the crisis gripped the nation of America, as genuine fear was being felt across the country in 1962. The U.S. Department of Defense worked with the production, allowing them to film on several factual bases.

The film's authenticity was achieved by filming on ships from the time of the ordeal that still existed in the active naval fleet and ships that were preserved in museums. Aircraft that still exist from the period were refurbished to appear operational for the movie and used in the most thrilling sequences of the picture.

'Men of Honor' (2000)

Academy Award Winners Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding Jr. star in this true-life story of the first African American U.S. naval diver. An immensely inspirational story, the film was made with the blessing and cooperation of the U.S. Navy. Fighting prejudices and a hard-nosed diving instructor played by De Niro, Gooding Jr. plays Carl Brashear, who sets his sights on becoming the Navy’s first African-American master diver.

Their interactions start out pretty rough, but fate ultimately conspires to bring the men together through mutual respect, triumph, and honor. The film uses the classic US Navy Mark V diving suit that was used from 1915 until 1985. The suit, plus the equipment, weighed over 200 pounds, and advisors from the government were brought in to show the cast and crew how to operate and navigate them,

'Pearl Harbor' (2006)

Pearl Harbor has gone down in infamy as one of the biggest misses in Hollywood History. But that still can't take away from the final 30 minutes, one of the greatest depictions of a historical war event ever filmed.

The producers staged the film in Hawaii and used current naval facilities to add authenticity. Active duty military members stationed in Hawaii also served as extras during the filming. All battleship scenes were filmed on actual decommissioned "ship museums" loaned to the filmmakers. The film's stars were put through real-life military cadet training to get into the mindset of the characters they were playing.

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