Bringing back Tom Cruise in the iconic role of Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell from the 1986 film, Top Gun: Maverick has become one of the biggest films in the action star’s esteemed career. The film garnered acclaim on multiple fronts, earning numerous accolades. However, its most notable feature was the breathtaking aerial sequences, which required monumental efforts from the filmmakers.
Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick | Paramount Pictures

It involved organizing the navy equipment and aircraft, including a Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet. In addition to the logistics, they also had to install cameras in the jet plane cockpits to film the aerial sequences, a process that demanded special authorization from the Navy.

Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick Got Special Approvals For the Aerial Sequences

Directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick employed extraordinary measures to capture its groundbreaking aerial sequences. As per Dan of Geek, Cruise, known for his dedication to action sequences, developed a training program for the film’s cast to prepare for filming in the F/A-18 Super Hornet, an aircraft valued at over $65 million.
Top Gun: Maverick | Credit: Paramount Pictures

The training was to adapt them to the intense gravitational forces of the aircraft, which could even cause unconsciousness. And to capture all these maneuvers, they had to get special permission from the Navy to install specifically built 6K IMAX-quality cameras inside the fighter jet cockpits.

“We spent a year working with the Navy to get approvals to put six of these IMAX-quality cameras inside the cockpit,” the filmmaker revealed. He also explained that two cameras were angled towards the actor and two faced forward along with two additional cameras that were mounted externally on the aircraft.

And their efforts actually paid off, creating a visually breathtaking portrayal of aerial combat. Talking about the efforts put into bringing the iconic and authentic sequences to life on the silver screen, he said, “You can feel the authenticity.”
Tom Cruise on the set of Top Gun: Maverick | Credit: Paramount Pictures
“It was a tremendous amount of effort and work, but you just can’t fake the results,” he further stated. Cruise and Kosinski are expected to deliver such iconic sequences in the upcoming third installment as well, which is reportedly in development.

Joseph Kosinski Suggests a Potential Delay For Top Gun 3

Following his sequel, which earned over $1.4 billion at the box office and earned an Oscar for Best Sound at the 95th Academy Awards, the studio has announced a third installment in the franchise. Joseph Kosinski is expected to return as the director of the film.

However, the filmmaker, who is currently busy with his upcoming film starring Brad Pitt, has suggested that the threequel could potentially face a delay. In an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he shared that both he and Cruise are busy with their respective projects.

Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick | Credit: Paramount Pictures
“We’ve all got very ambitious things ahead of ourselves,” the filmmaker shared, before adding, “Listen, it took 36 years for Maverick, it could take 36 for the next one. I don’t know.”

However, he also shared that he is determined to work on the third installment as long as he gets an exciting story for the movie. Top Gun 3 is expected to bring back Tom Cruise along with Miles Teller and Glen Powell from the 2022 Oscar-winning movie.