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    "Top Gun: Maverick": 19 Things About The Film You Need To Know

    Who’s ready for take-off?

    The newest and biggest navy action drama is on its way to a theatre near you, and I’m just as excited as the rest of us! That’s why I’ve rounded up 19 things about Top Gun: Maverick that you need to know. So, try to contain your excitement and buckle in while I give you the rundown…

    1. It’s been three decades since the original Top Gun.

    Tom Cruise in a fighter jet in the original Top Gun movie

    2. The film is marketed as a direct sequel.

    Tom Cruise riding a motorbike in new Top Gun Maverick movie

    3. Top Gun: Maverick is directed by Joseph Kosinski.

    Director Joseph Kosinski at Top Gun Maverick event

    4. The story puts Maverick in the front seat.

    Tom Cruise smirking as Maverick

    5. You’ll see some familiar faces.

    Tom Cruise looking at a framed photo of Val Kilmer in Top Gun: Maverick movie

    6. But two major characters didn’t return for the sequel.

    Kelly McGillis as Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood and Tom Cruise as Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell posing for a photo on set of Top Gun film

    7. There’ll be some fresh faces joining the list of Top Gun graduates.

    Team of Top Gun graduates in Top Gun: Maverick movie
    Miles Teller in Top Gun: Maverick movie

    8. The movie has been four years in the making.

    The cast of Top Gun at Top Gun: Maverick event

    9. Tom Cruise did his own stunts.

    Tom Cruise walking away from the helicopter he flew in to the Top Gun: Maverick event

    10. The cast also had their work cut out for them.

    View this video on YouTube

    Paramount Pictures / Via youtube.com

    If the stars of Top Gun: Maverick thought they were going to get off lightly when it came to portraying their characters, then they were mistaken, because Tom Cruise had another thing coming for them! The actors were put through actual Naval Aviation Survival Training, and Paramount Pictures released a behind-the-scenes clip that told all (above).

    It turns out that all actors undertook a grueling three-month training program, including an intense underwater program that involved being flipped in an aircraft scenario and getting out in time. The all-encompassing training was designed by Cruise, and it also allowed the actors to try out their skills with a single-engine airplane (how kind of Cruise, and absolutely not terrifying at all!), so that the actors could build up their spacial awareness inside the aircraft. From there, they graduated all the way up to an F-18 super hornet. The cast even had to learn cinematography and how to direct and film themselves from within the jets.

    I’m mind-blown just from watching that behind-the-scenes footage, and I bet the actors have never experienced anything quite like it before!

    11. And the stars even lived and breathed their roles for a while.

    Top Gun pilot flying a fighter jet in Top Gun: Maverick movie

    12. Miles Teller puts his piano skills in front of the camera.

    Miles Teller at event for Top Gun: Maverick

    13. Green screen was a no-go.

    4 fighter jets flying in sync

    14. The film had a whopping budget.

    Fighter Jet flying in the sky

    15. Top Gun: Maverick was made for IMAX.

    Top Gun pilots walking towards their aircrafts

    16. Lady Gaga curated the theme tune.

    When I wrote this song for Top Gun: Maverick, I didn’t even realize the multiple layers it spanned across the film’s heart, my own psyche, and the nature of the world we’ve been living in. I’ve been working on it for years, perfecting it, trying to make it ours.

    @ladygaga / Via Twitter: @ladygaga

    While Berlin gave Top Gun one of its most popular songs with the romantic classic “Take My Breath Away,” Lady Gaga has taken the reigns on writing and performing the theme tune for Top Gun: Maverick.

    The song is an epic rock power ballad, and the singer took to Twitter to highlight how she classed the song as a “love letter to the world during a very hard time.”

    Fun fact: Gaga also confirmed in an Instagram post that the plane in the music video was real. What a performer!

    17. The score has an A-list team behind it too.

    18. Critics first reactions are promising.

    So, I don’t know about you, but one of my fears about much-anticipated movies is the worry that they’re going to be a huge letdown! There’s nothing worse than having your high hopes dashed by an underwhelming film.

    Luckily for us, critics first reactions are in, and it’s looking super promising…

    Top Gun Maverick is going to completely blow away fans of the original and may even make some new ones along the way. Truthfully, even though the plot is very dependent on that of the original, I found the film to be better than the original in almost every way. #TopGunMaverick

    Paramount Pictures , @ScottDMenzel / Via Twitter: @ScottDMenzel

    Just saw #TopGunMaverick at #CinemaCon - goodness gracious. Might be the best movie in 10 years. Thrills & chills, tears & cheers. @TomCruise is unparalleled. It exceeds anything you could imagine. EXTRAORDINARILY tense. PERFECTION. @Miles_Teller crushes. @TopGunMovie #TopGun

    Paramount Pictures , @NikkiNovak / Via Twitter: @NikkiNovak

    Full disclosure. I’m a huge Top Gun fan. But I think even if I wasn’t, I would have LOVED Top Gun: Maverick. The action is intense & gorgeous, characters and relationships rich & rewarding, then it tugs on the heart strings too. It’s a special sequel & I’ll be its wingman anytime

    Paramount Pictures , @GermainLussier / Via Twitter: @GermainLussier

    19. Top Gun: Maverick is set to soar into theatres everywhere on May 27.

    View this video on YouTube

    Paramount Pictures / Via youtube.com

    While the countdown is on, you can keep on re-living the thrills in the exhilarating trailer!

    I’m 100% going to be seeing Top Gun: Maverick on the biggest and best IMAX screen I can find! Will you be watching upon its release?