Thumbs-up story lines for the new ‘Top Gun’
Where should our hero Maverick land 30 years later?
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Three decades after hitting the danger zone, Tom Cruise is locked on the sequel to 1986’s Top Gun.
Cruise, 54, recently confirmed that the follow-up is “definitely happening ” and has continued to tease details. He revealed the title, Top Gun: Maverick (“You don’t need a number”), while promising aviator sunglasses, aircraft carriers and “big, fast machines.”
Great start. But we have thoughts about what could — and maybe should — happen in Maverick. A FEMALE PILOT KICKS OPEN THE BOY’S CLUB DOOR
Top Gun was overwhelmingly white and male, summarized by Iceman’s (Val Kilmer) jab at Maverick: “The plaque for the alternates is down in the ladies’ room.” But this time around, Maverick is the senior flight instructor dealing with a genius pilot who has a chip on her shoulder. The military has evolved, allowing women to train as fighter pilots since 1993. So, too, has Cruise, welcoming strong female co-stars such as the sensational Emily Blunt, who knocked him around as Rita Vrataski in
Edge of Tomorrow. We need that spirit in the cockpit. MAVERICK FACES GOOSE’S SON Carole Bradshaw (Meg Ryan) was heartbroken but understanding when her husband, radio intercept officer Goose (Anthony Edwards), died ejecting from the jet. Maverick was cleared of wrongdoing in the incident. But Bradshaw’s young son, glimpsed in happy family moments, could understandably blame the brilliant-but-once-reckless pilot for a life without his father. Maverick, still pained by Goose’s death, must deal with the guilt resurfaced by the presence of his now-grown and resentful offspring. RUSSIA PAYS FOR ITS HACKING The Russians weren’t the main story line, but they were the foe that fueled the Cold War-era original. Sure enough, Russia has reemerged with top-villain status, worthy of a screen return. It’s not just their meddling in the 2016 election, it’s the global attitude. They have the ambition, the antagonism, the jets and swagger.
The sequel could be ripped from the 2016 headline about the Russian pilot who pulled a Top
Gun- like barrel-roll stunt over a U.S. reconnaissance plane, a maneuver stolen from Top Gun’s playbook. But in Maverick, this aggression spills over into a threat that requires mobilization. Think payback Hollywood style. DRONES SERVE AS A FACELESS MENACE The Internet is obsessed with the prospect of a drone story line (though Cruise has dodged the question of whether unmanned flights will factor into the sequel). Are drones the next level of dogfighting? Maybe. But not without a last stand against human-flown jets instructed and flown by Maverick. The drones can fly, but they need to be robotic foes our pilots knock out of the sky. This time. MAVERICK GOES OUT IN A BLAZE OF GLORY Goose’s death provided the original movie’s emotional punch, allowing for the full triumph at the end. The only way to recapture that resonance is if it’s Maverick’s final flight. He needs to go down heroically.
Maverick has matured and succeeded in his dreams of becoming a Top Gun instructor. But in our final conflict, the teacher is forced back into the cockpit, taking out foes with his young crew — but giving the greatest sacrifice of all to complete the mission. It’s a fitting end to the character arc, leaving fans in tears and quashing another 30 years of Top Gun sequel speculation. THE VOLLEYBALL SCENE RETURNS WITH A TWIST Sure, it’s a moonshot. Cruise said that this would be a “competition” film, but he didn’t say what kind of competition (though he suggested there might be a volleyball scene).
It’s time to reprise the iconic and oiled-up sandpit match. Maverick would be wearing jeans (again), but now Wrangler Relaxed Fit. His teammate would be Wrangler spokesman Brett Favre, with Tom Hanks toting his Wilson volleyball. Their foes: Threetime Olympic champs Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty MayTreanor. It’s not pretty how this ends.