As the final credits roll on Top Gun: Maverick, fans will see a familiar name appear in a memorial dedication: Tony Scott, director of the original Top Gun, who took his own life in August 2012.
More than a decade ago, when talks about a sequel began, Scott was a part of the conversation; now, in 2022, his presence is still being felt. “He’s with us now and watching over us and it’s sad he can’t be here but I think [sequel director] Joe [Kosinski] did a phenomenal job of taking a leap from what Tony did,” producer Jerry Bruckheimer told THR at the film’s world premiere in San Diego, also revealing that members of Scott‘s family were on hand for the red carpet event.
Writer Christopher McQuarrie added that Tom Cruise screened the film for Scott’s brother Ridley Scott after its completion, as he spoke to the director’s legacy. “We’re all here because of Tony. You’ve got to remember that in 1986 when you saw Top Gun, Top Gun wasn’t Top Gun yet — the movies weren’t what they are now and Top Gun was a tectonic shift and that’s owed to Tony,” McQuarrie said. “When Tony was firing on all cylinders there was nobody better, and I don’t think in his lifetime he really got the recognition he deserves as a truly influential, powerful filmmaker.”
The film went on to rake in $160.5 million over the Memorial Day weekend, the biggest opening of all time for the holiday as well as the biggest opening ever for Cruise.
This story first appeared in the June 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.