Top Gun 2: Maverick has 800 hours of footage

"Top Gun: Maverick" will have its world premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival and will be released in North America on May 27. Recently, director Joseph Kosinski told Empire magazine that the film took 800 hours of footage, which is equivalent to the footage of three "Lord of the Rings" films: "Because you can only pick out 30 seconds of good footage from 12 to 14 hours a day, it's not easy."

Aerial filming requires not only capturing the exterior shots of the aircraft, but also the shots of the actors operating the camera themselves inside the cabin. "We have to teach the actors on lighting, photography and editing," said Tom Cruise, the lead actor and producer. "I have to teach everyone how to turn the camera on and off, as well as the camera angles and lenses. Our time on the plane is limited. After 20 to 30 minutes of shooting, I have to make sure we have captured the material we want."

According to foreign media reports, due to multiple delays, "Top Gun 2: Maverick" has completed post-production early, and many industry insiders have already seen the entire film. Last year, British filmmaker Edgar Wright revealed on social media that he had watched "Top Gun: Maverick" twice, including the experience on the IMAX big screen. In an interview with Empire magazine, the creator of "Top Gun: Maverick" said that Tony Scott's brother Ridley Scott also watched the movie and gave it a good evaluation.

Tony Scott, the director of 1986's "Top Gun," established his status as an important figure in Hollywood with this action movie. Initially, Tony Scott discussed the feasibility of a sequel with Tom Cruise and Bruckheimer, but he suddenly passed away in 2012.

"My first conversation about Top Gun: Maverick was 11 years ago, when I was called into a meeting with Cruise, Jerry Bruckheimer and David Ellison. Then, unfortunately, Tony passed away and the movie went with him," recalled the film's screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie.

Tom Cruise recalls his last meeting with Tony Scott: "I met with Tony on a Friday and he passed away on Sunday. It was horrible."

“We were very close,” Bruckheimer recalled. “I went to the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School with Tony and talked to some of the officers and pilots about ideas.”

Top Gun: Maverick lay dormant for a few years after Tony Scott's death, with director Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy, Oblivion) ​​eventually taking over for the sequel, which still retains many of the familiar elements of the original film from 36 years ago.