Tom Cruise is ready to return as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in “Top Gun” — with the sequel arriving dcades after the troubled original movie saved the rising star’s career! Learn the film’s behind-the-scenes secrets, and click here for more news on the big-screen star….
Tom Cruise’s ‘Top Gun’ Secrets & Scandals
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Tom Cruise is ready to return as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in "Top Gun" — with the sequel arriving decades after the troubled original movie saved his career while sparking gay rumors!
Photo credit: MEGA/Instagram
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Tom announced that "Top Gun: Maverick" had started production with an Instagram pic that quickly got Hollywood buzzing. There was even speculation that stricken former co-star Val Kilmer would still participate in the hotly-anticipated movie. But "Top Gun" only had a happy ending for Tom after giving him plenty of stress!
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While the ailing movie business is happy to get Tom back in the cockpit, the star was almost washed up when "Top Gun" first saved his career. Tom had followed up a breakthrough role in 1983's "Risky Business' by playing a "forest spirit" in the fantasy film "Legend." The epic 1985 production kept Tom from taking other roles, and then bombed at the box office. That left plenty of other stars preferred for the "Top Gun" lead!
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Matthew Modine was the original favorite to play Maverick, but he turned down the role because he objected to the movie’s politics. The part was also passed over by Patrick Swayze, Nicolas Cage, Matthew Broderick, Sean Penn and Tom Hanks. Rising star Charlie Sheen didn't get the job after producers decided that he looked too young. That left the spot open for Cruise to make a comeback.
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Val, meanwhile, had only signed on to the movie because of a contractual obligation to Paramount studios. Fortunately, the movie revived Val's career — as he's hoped it would again. “I actually felt a little sorry for him,” Val later recalled of Tom. “’cause we all had time to play and date the cute extras and zoom around San Diego in muscle cars, but Tom was always in some scene and never got to play with us.”
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Tom's time on the set included love scenes with Kelly McGillis — which ended up being a disaster. Producers had originally toned down the planned romance after discovering there wasn't any real chemistry between their stars. Test audiences complained, however, which forced a reshoot for a disastrous sex scene.
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Kelly had already gained 15 pounds since the original shooting, and her self-consciousness reportedly didn't help in filming the very awkward sex scene. As a result, "Top Gun" established Tom as a star while also fueling gay rumors. There was also talk of Kelly's secret gay life, with the actress finally coming out as a lesbian in 2009.
Photo credit: Mega
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That cold romance still couldn't keep “Top Gun” from earning over $350 million on a $15 million budget. The sequel could also save Tom from relying on the "Mission Impossible" franchise for hits — as he boasts: “Aviators are back..We’re going to have big, fast machines. It’s going to be a competition film, like the first one!”
Photo credit: Getty Images
Tom Cruise is ready to return as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in "Top Gun" — with the sequel arriving decades after the troubled original movie saved his career while sparking gay rumors!
Photo credit: MEGA/Instagram
Tom announced that "Top Gun: Maverick" had started production with an Instagram pic that quickly got Hollywood buzzing. There was even speculation that stricken former co-star Val Kilmer would still participate in the hotly-anticipated movie. But "Top Gun" only had a happy ending for Tom after giving him plenty of stress!
While the ailing movie business is happy to get Tom back in the cockpit, the star was almost washed up when "Top Gun" first saved his career. Tom had followed up a breakthrough role in 1983's "Risky Business' by playing a "forest spirit" in the fantasy film "Legend." The epic 1985 production kept Tom from taking other roles, and then bombed at the box office. That left plenty of other stars preferred for the "Top Gun" lead!
Matthew Modine was the original favorite to play Maverick, but he turned down the role because he objected to the movie’s politics. The part was also passed over by Patrick Swayze, Nicolas Cage, Matthew Broderick, Sean Penn and Tom Hanks. Rising star Charlie Sheen didn't get the job after producers decided that he looked too young. That left the spot open for Cruise to make a comeback.
Val, meanwhile, had only signed on to the movie because of a contractual obligation to Paramount studios. Fortunately, the movie revived Val's career — as he's hoped it would again. “I actually felt a little sorry for him,” Val later recalled of Tom. “’cause we all had time to play and date the cute extras and zoom around San Diego in muscle cars, but Tom was always in some scene and never got to play with us.”
Tom's time on the set included love scenes with Kelly McGillis — which ended up being a disaster. Producers had originally toned down the planned romance after discovering there wasn't any real chemistry between their stars. Test audiences complained, however, which forced a reshoot for a disastrous sex scene.
Kelly had already gained 15 pounds since the original shooting, and her self-consciousness reportedly didn't help in filming the very awkward sex scene. As a result, "Top Gun" established Tom as a star while also fueling gay rumors. There was also talk of Kelly's secret gay life, with the actress finally coming out as a lesbian in 2009.
Photo credit: Mega
That cold romance still couldn't keep “Top Gun” from earning over $350 million on a $15 million budget. The sequel could also save Tom from relying on the "Mission Impossible" franchise for hits — as he boasts: “Aviators are back..We’re going to have big, fast machines. It’s going to be a competition film, like the first one!”
Photo credit: Getty Images
