Top Gun: Maverick poster
Top Gun: Maverick

Half-Assed Internet Research

Cruise’s earlier refusal, cockpit filming and a beach-scene reshoot

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 01:20:47Read transcript
  • Cruise reportedly dismissed a sequel as irresponsible in 1990
  • Kosinski pitched the Rooster relationship and Darkstar storyline to Cruise
  • A professor’s records research is cited about military input in the film
  • The hosts report hourly Navy aircraft fees
  • Actors handled aspects of makeup and camera operation while airborne
  • They note that extensive practical filming does not make all mission details realistic
  • The flight-jacket Taiwan/China flag controversy is briefly discussed without resolving every claim
  • Cruise’s own P-51 appears in the final flight
  • The beach montage was reportedly reshot after Cruise found the first version insufficient
  • The cast reportedly returned to training after celebrating the original shoot
  • The sailing sequence reportedly used a J-125 in San Francisco Bay without doubles
  • Bruckheimer restored a Don Simpson credit as a tribute
  • Teller reportedly learned the piano performance