While Top Gun: Maverick continues to smash domestic box-office records, it has been revealed that the cast listing for the Top Gun sequel almost included sporting royalty. Formula 1 legend Sir Lewis Hamilton was set to join the ensemble as a fighter pilot and TOPGUN graduate but scheduling conflicts caused by the demanding Formula 1 calendar forced him to drop out of the film.
After a 36-year wait, including a decade in development and numerous COVID-19 pandemic-related delays, Tom Cruise's Maverick returned to train a new group of TOPGUN recruits, and the sequel, directed by Cruise's frequent collaborator Joseph Kosinski, has been an overwhelming success. It currently stands as the highest-grossing film of 2022, passing Titanic's domestic haul, and has even garnered the acclaim of director Quentin Tarantino, who said it carried on the spirit and legacy of the first film, directed by Tony Scott. Cruise and the returning Val Kilmer were joined by new recruits Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, and Jon Hamm. However, seven-time Formula 1 world champion Hamilton also almost joined the cast.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hamilton revealed his friendship with Cruise and how being a massive fan of the original film was a crucial factor in him seeking to be involved in the movie:
“So when I heard the second one was coming out, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I have to ask him’. I said, ‘I don’t care what role it is. I’ll even sweep something, be a cleaner in the back’."
However, Hamilton's dreams of finally becoming a fighter pilot were dashed as filming took place during the climax of the 2018 Formula 1 season, in which he secured the fifth of his seven world championships. This meant he would not have been able to undertake the grueling training required to cope with the stresses and strains of flying an F18 fighter jet.
“I’m a perfectionist. The most upsetting call that I think I’ve ever had.”
Despite having to deliver the bad news to Cruise and Kosinski, the Mercedes driver is no stranger to the silver screen. He made his acting debut in a brief cameo in Cars 2, voicing a version of himself, a role he reprised six years later in the sequel, Cars 3. He also made another cameo appearance as himself in the critically-panned Zoolander 2. Hamilton's potential role in Top Gun: Maverick has yet to be revealed, but it would no doubt have been much beefier than a simple cameo and may have even led to him pursuing a career on screen following his driving travails.
Hamilton is undoubtedly keen to stay involved in the film business - he is co-producing a Formula 1-centric film along with Brad Pitt, which will be directed by Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski. He is also on script supervision duties to avoid the story becoming too fantastical and unrealistic. With Kosinski involved, and if the awe-inspiring visuals of Top Gun: Maverick are anything to go by, Hamilton's Formula 1 movie will be a cinematic experience not to be missed and will satisfy his need for speed.
Source: Vanity Fair