While Paramount is working on Top Gun 3 with Tom Cruise, we return to the making of the acclaimed Top Gun Maverick to discover an interesting backstory on Lewis Hamiltonfamous champion of Formula 1.
The superstar, speaking to GQ, told of having formed a strong friendship with Tom Cruise after the actor invited him to the set of his 2014 film Edge of Tomorrow: since then the duo has continued to keep in touch – with Cruise sending messages of encouragement to Hamilton before every race since then – and one day the pilot was proposed for a hypothetical sequel to Top Gunyears before Top Gun: Maverick was actually made.
“I told him, ‘Man, if you ever do Top Gun 2 someday, you gotta give me a part! I am also willing to be the caretaker of the hangar where you keep your plane!” Hamilton recalled. Years later, when pre-production on Top Gun: Maverick had truly begun, Tom Cruise remembered that joking request from Hamilton and put the driver in contact with the director Joseph Kosinski, who offered him the role of one of the young drivers trained by Tom Cruise in the sequel: unfortunately however, due to his busy racing and training schedule (we are talking about 2018, when Hamilton was driving for the world title) and his lack of acting experience, Hamilton decided to renounce the offer. Since then, however, he has greatly regretted it: “First, I’ve never taken an acting class in my life“he told the magazine. “And I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, to be honest. Unfortunately, I didn’t really have the time to dedicate to it, and I remember having to give it up, having to tell Joe and Tom, broke my heart. And then I regretted it, of course: When I saw the film, I found it incredible. To think that I could have been part of it is a real nightmare!“.
However, the lesson has been learned: as you may know, in fact, Lewis Hamilton will produce Joseph Kosinski’s new film, which will focus on the world of Formula 1 and will star Brad Pitt. The film will be shot with the same realistic techniques used for Top Gun: Maverick, but applied to racing cars.
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