Joseph Kosinski additionally says that the scene did not want many takes because the feelings you see within the movie are actual.
One of essentially the most celebrated moments of the 12 months’s largest movie, Top Gun: Maverick, could be the long-lasting reunion between authentic Top Gun stars Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer. The impactful scene was introduced up in a chat between director Joseph Kosinski and Glass Onion helmer Rian Johnson (per Variety), and it was requested how precisely the scene got here to be. In the movie, Kilmer’s Iceman is depicted as having throat most cancers, a approach of working across the actor’s real-life well being struggles.
As Kosinski explains, working that into the story was truly Kilmer’s concept. The director explains how as soon as Kilmer pitched bringing Iceman into the sequel this manner, the writing for making it occur got here naturally from there. Though, main as much as movie, there have been adjustments made relating to how a lot Kilmer would truly converse.
“One of essentially the most memorable days on set, for positive. It was Val who got here up with the concept of Iceman being sick. I assumed it was a really courageous concept on Val’s half, however clearly then opened up this complete storyline for Iceman and Maverick that then we labored into the script. In the primary variations, Iceman and Maverick had a dialog right through the scene — it was extra spoken. As we bought additional into it, we modified it in order that Iceman varieties out the primary half of the scene.”
Kosinski goes on to clarify how the change was partially for the sake of Kilmer, however that in addition they discovered that having him bodily converse much less initially made it imply extra when he does so.
“Yeah, a part of it was that, the issue to talk. But additionally, it actually charged the second on the finish of the scene the place Iceman does converse. We had a model the place we didn’t have the joke on the finish and it was extra a somber scene, however the joke made it in there.”
Getting Val Kilmer Involved Was Important
Everyone concerned with the manufacturing needed to get Val Kilmer to return for Top Gun: Maverick. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer beforehand spoke about how Tom Cruise “actually needed” Kilmer to be there to reunite with him. In reality, Cruise might have been extra adamant than anybody that the reunion wanted to occur. As the producer instructed People:
“He mentioned, ‘We should have Val, we now have to have him again. We should have him within the movie. And he was the driving drive. We all needed him, however Tom was actually adamant that if he’ll make one other Top Gun, Val needed to be in it.”
Top Gun: Maverick will land on Paramount+ for streaming on Dec. 22, 2022, following a current two-week return to theaters.