Tom Cruise Almost Killed The Franchise That Brought Him Tons of Money in Box Office
The fate of making over a billion dollars rested on Cruise saying "yes."
One of Tom Cruise’s most iconic roles was as Lieutenant Pete Mitchell in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun.
The film didn't achieve huge commercial success, but Top Gun became a cult classic, revered for its adrenaline-pumping aerial sequences and Cruise's charming portrayal of the hotshot pilot, which definitely contributed to the success of Tom Cruise's career.
When news broke that Tom Cruise would be returning as Maverick, fans around the world rejoiced. Released 36 years after the first movie, Top Gun: Maverick surpassed all expectations, becoming a massive box office success garnering $1.493 billion around the world.
As it turns out, Tom Cruise wasn't really up for doing another Top Gun movie at first. But the director Joseph Kosinski commented in an interview with Collider on how he managed to talk Tom Cruise into reprising his role as Maverick in the franchise.
Kosinski, after receiving a script for a Top Gun sequel from the producer Jerry Bruckheimer, made some changes and headed to Paris, where Cruise was busy filming Mission: Impossible — Fallout. Kosinski believes that Bruckheimer knew that Cruise wasn’t interested, but he didn’t tell him about it.
Unaware of Cruise's lack of interest, Kosinski met with the actor and presented his ideas. Surprisingly, Kosinski's pitch ended up piquing the actor's curiosity.
Kosinski admitted that he didn't realize Cruise's reluctance initially. He explained that Cruise seemed prepared to politely decline the offer. However, Kosinski was left in awe because after their meeting, Cruise called the head of the studio and said, "We're making another Top Gun."
Kosinski was able to persuade Tom Cruise to hop back on board for Top Gun: Maverick simply by showing him the script of the movie. Kosinski believes that the detail that really got Cruise excited was the whole storyline of reconciling with Rooster (Miles Teller).
No doubt about it, Tom Cruise made the right call by returning for the sequel. The movie has totally crushed it at the box office, raking in a mind-blowing $1.493 billion worldwide.
Currently, it is Cruise's most successful film to date, but the next installment of Mission Impossible has a chance to reach the same gross, given what the director Christopher McQuarrie (who also worked on Maverick) said about crushing Top Gun.
Source: Collider