Maverick Would Have Been A Very Different Movie If The Director Asked Before Joseph Kosinski Hadn’t Turned It Down

The 2022 action drama sequel Top Gun: Maverick is one of the highest-grossing and most universally-acclaimed action movies of all time, and it could have looked very different if the original plan for the movie’s direction had actually come to pass. After many years in development, the director’s chair for Maverick was eventually filled by Joseph Kosinski, who previously was most widely recognized for his work with CGI-heavy movies like Tron: Legacy, Oblivion, and Only the Brave. Kosinski obviously did an incredible job blending CGI and real-world stunt direction, resulting in the outstanding action sequences of Maverick.

While Kosinski was chosen to direct in 2017, five years before the film’s release, a Top Gun sequel was in development as far back as 2010. Prior to Kosinski’s selection, however, the movie was originally offered to producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott, the duo responsible for the oft-quoted Top Gun. Scott unfortunately died in 2012, which forced Bruckheimer and co. to pivot for the sequel. The foremost potential replacement for Scott was actually the late director’s brother, the legendary director Ridley Scott, who ultimately passed on the opportunity, leading to Kosinski taking the helm.

It’s Hard To Imagine Ridley Scott Making The Same Top Gun: Maverick As Joseph Kosinski

Scott’s Past Work May Have Made For An Interesting Vision

Ridley Scott would certainly have brought the experience and ability to create a truly memorable follow-up to Top Gun, but it’s hard to picture what Scott’s vision for the movie would have been. The English director has been most well-recognized for his work on historical dramas, science fiction epics, and crime thrillers, so he would have been capable of matching Kosinski’s finished product as far as drama, action, and scale are considered. There’s little doubt that Scott could have directed something visually on par with the spectacle of Top Gun: Maverick given his resume.

One of the most interesting elements of a Ridley Scott-directed Top Gun sequel would have been Scott’s ability to step into a cinematic world with such a well-defined tone and aesthetic. Scott has done sequels before (ex. Hannibal, the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs), but he has typically been at his best with either completely original stories like Alien and Blade Runner, or historical baselines upon which he can impose his vision, like Black Hawk Down or Kingdom of Heaven. Continuing the well-established and beloved Top Gun story would have posed a unique challenge for Scott.

Why Ridley Scott Turned Top Gun: Maverick Down

Scott Had A Very Personal Connection To The Original

Ultimately, Ridley Scott declined to direct the movie that would become Top Gun: Maverick for a very simple, very personal reason: he had no interest in following after his brother, who directed the original Top Gun. As Ridley Scott noted in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, his wheelhouse is more history and science fiction, while his brother’s tastes skewed more towards contemporary times and realism. As Scott put it, “Tony was always interested in today.”

It’s certainly difficult to blame Scott for not wanting to encroach upon one of his brother’s most lasting and beloved works. While Tony Scott was one of the most well-respected action directors for nearly 30 years in the 1980s-2000s, Top Gun likely stands as the movie he’s most universally associated with. Ridley Scott may have been able to direct a movie that was a worthy addition to his brother’s legacy, but it makes plenty of sense that he wanted the baton to pass to someone else.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 original film starring Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a top-tier pilot in the Navy. Thirty years after the original film’s events, Maverick is asked to head up a section of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things become personal when the program includes the son of Maverick’s late friend, forcing him to confront his past.

Director

Joseph Kosinski

Release Date

May 27, 2022

Writers

Ashley Miller , Justin Marks , Peter Craig , Zack Stentz

Cast

Tom Cruise , Miles Teller , Jennifer Connelly , Val Kilmer , Jay Ellis , Jon Hamm , Bashir Salahuddin , Charles Parnell , Lewis Pullman , Glen Powell , Monica Barbaro , Ed Harris

Runtime

130 Minutes

Franchise(s)

Top Gun

Budget

$170 Million

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