While some movie studios weathered the COVID-19 storm by releasing movies to streaming services instead of theaters, Tom Cruise insists he was “never” going to do that with his latest project, Top Gun: Maverick.
“That was not going to happen ever,” the actor and producer tells The Hollywood Reporter. “That was never going to happen.”
The sequel — enjoying a sky-high 97% ratings on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes — was delayed several times by the pandemic, but will now finally land in theaters May 24.
He tells the trade even in the darkest days of the pandemic, when movie theaters were shuttered, he was optimistic. In fact, he explained he called each of his younger co-stars, including Miles Teller, Danny Ramirez, Monica Barbaro and Glen Powell, each time the film was delayed to say, “Don’t worry, this is going to happen.”
Cruise, whose career was just saluted at the Cannes Film Festival, also mentioned his drive to do his own stunts in each of his films. And yes, that includes flying in Maverick. “No one asked Gene Kelly, ‘Why do you dance? Why do you do your own dancing?'” Cruise said.
And speaking of Top Gun, fans can head over to WhatsMyCallSign.com and open your camera to get your own pilot callsign — and model your flight helmet via AR technology.
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