Top Gun finally gets a sequel after more than three decades, but Top Gun: Maverick may not have the same real-life effect as its predecessor. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the upcoming film will reunite fans with Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise), who's now an instructor at TOPGUN - the same flying academy he and his RIO, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) were sent in the original movie. Regardless of its quality, however, it may not have the same impact the 1986 film had back when it was released in theaters.
When Top Gun was rolled out originally, it became a box office success for Paramount - earning $356 million against a production budget of only $15 million and launching Tom Cruise's star even higher. However, aside from its financial gains, Top Gun has also become a cult classic with lasting pop culture impact over the years. In 2015, it was chosen by the United States Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Film Registry as it is "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant." Top Gun had a massive impact in terms of military recruiting in the country, as well.
The film was supposedly used as a recruiting video for the Navy, as claimed by producer John Davis. Apparently, watching Top Gun convinced people to want to be Navy pilots and join the organization. Acknowledging its effects, the Navy even installed recruitment booths in select cinemas in case some moviegoers ended up becoming interested in enlisting. Overall, thanks to Top Gun's story, the Navy revealed that they saw an increase of 500% in the number of young men who wanted to be Naval Aviators. Now, despite Top Gun: Maverick serving as a sequel to the '80s classic, there's a good chance that it won't have the same recruitment impact its predecessor had.
The reason for this has everything to do with the focus of Top Gun: Maverick, which now lands in cinemas in July 2021. Top Gun offered the public a peek at what it's like training to be a Naval Aviator; it featured fun training sessions and highlighted how competitive it is inside the academy, which then inspired a lot of people to join the Navy. While those elements will still play into the new film, it won't be the focal point of it since the sequel is going to be more of a personal story. While the Navy and TOPGUN academy is still the backdrop of the follow-up's story, its narrative is centered on Maverick instead. As he grows old in the service, he's now focused on imparting everything he has learned over the course of his career to new TOPGUN recruits. Among his upcoming students is Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller) - son of Goose, indicating that Top Gun: Maverick will revisit the tragic death of his former RIO. As seen in the trailers, Rooster and Maverick will have a tumultuous relationship, which more likely stems from the former still harboring ill-feelings towards his father's flying partner. Kosinski teased that in the blockbuster, Maverick will have to confront his past further backing up this idea.
Perhaps if a third Top Gun film is greenlit, the budding Paramount franchise can focus on the overall journey inside the Navy than a personal one just like what they're doing in Top Gun: Maverick. In hindsight, that's a more sustainable way to continue building the movie series as it's not tethered to a single character. But for now, the sequel will first resolve lingering questions from the first film which is needed so they can fully move on to new narratives down the road.
