Röhnert/ullstein bild via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Thirty years ago, Tom Cruise felt the need…the need for speed!
One of his signature films, Top Gun, celebrates its 30th anniversary Monday, May 16. Cruise — who previously had appeared in films like Risky Business and All the Right Moves — became a Hollywood superstar with his role as Maverick, the brash young fighter pilot at the U.S. Navy’s fighter-weapons school.
Cruise’s co-stars included Val Kilmer, who played Iceman; Anthony Edwards, as Goose; and Kelly McGillis, as Charlie, with whom Maverick has a relationship.
Top Gun, directed by the late Tony Scott, grossed more than $175 million at the domestic box office, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, and earned four Oscar nominations, winning best original song for the Berlin tune “Take My Breath Away.”
The Top Gun soundtrack included other notable tracks like Kenny Loggins’ monster hit, “Danger Zone,” which became forever associated with the film.
A 30th anniversary edition of Top Gun was recently released on Blu-ray. It includes new extras, like an interview with Cruise. “The aerial footage to date is the best aerial footage ever,” Cruise says of the film in the new extras. He gives all the credit to Tony Scott for using the most cutting-edge equipment at the time. Cameras were mounted inside and on the planes.
“Tony Scott, of course, changed how airplanes were filmed,” Cruise adds in the extras, a clip of which was obtained by USA Today. “We were using [that technology] right to the extreme…. At that time, there were no GoPros. They had designed camera mounts and lenses.”
There has been much speculation regarding a potential Top Gun sequel. In late March, producer Jerry Bruckheimer told Entertainment Tonight that Cruise would return for a follow-up. “You don’t make Top Gun without Tom Cruise!” he said at the time.
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