Moviegoers are feeling the need… the need for speed. Tom Cruise is returning to his signature role of Maverick in the anticipated (and long-awaited) sequel Top Gun: Maverick. But some folks might be wondering, “Why now, after all these years?”
One of the people curious about Cruise’s motivations is none other than Quentin Tarantino, who has an odd connection to Top Gun thanks to a memorable monologue he pulled off in the 1994 indie comedy Sleep With Me. More on that in a second. With Top Gun: Maverick on the horizon, we got the chance to bring the sequel up with Tarantino during a lengthy conversation for the ReelBlend podcast (the full chat drops this Thursday). And he told us:
Well, you know, it's funny. I know Tom a little bit and I asked him about that. I was like, ‘I guess you're doing a Top Gun sequel?’ And he goes ‘Yeah, yeah, we're doing it.’ I go, ‘How can you do that without Tony [Scott]?’ And he was like, [[Sigh] I know.’ He goes, like, ‘I agree with that. I understand. That's how we always thought about it.’ But then, I think it was the guy who did Oblivion actually came up with this story. He goes, ‘He came up with a really great story. He came up with a great story that really worked that I really enjoy taking the character further in that way.’ And it was the script. He goes, ‘The answer to your question is the script. They came up with a really good idea.’
Considering that, in his Top Gun monologue, Tarantino’s character says the Gun screenplay is one of the best in cinematic history, that’s high praise. The monologue was delivered by Tarantino but credited to his producing partner Roger Avery. It goes something like this:
It certainly helped us to look at Tony Scott’s “Flying Aces” thriller in a new light. But it’s comforting to know that the story and script for Top Gun: Maverick were strong enough to get Cruise to consider coming back to one of this most popular roles for a second go-around. The trailer is priming that nostalgia pump, looking like this in the most recent trailer:
And here, now, is the full two-hour conversation that Quentin Tarantino had on the ReelBlend podcast!
We’ll be able to see the actual movie for ourselves next year, when Top Gun: Maverick opens. As for Tarantino, he is riding a wave of support for his movie Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. If you haven't yet seen it, go see it now!
