Top Gun: Maverick has been one of the biggest movies of the decade so far, so it’s no wonder people can’t seem to stop talking about it. The film captured the high-flying action of the original film, while also infusing a lot of heart with its new characters. Director Joseph Kosinski had big shoes to fill when taking on the project, especially considering the 1986 film was so beloved. Luckily, many of his frequent collaborators hopped on board, including big names like Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, and of course, Tom Cruise. Apparently, one of his former collaborators even almost appeared in Jon Hamm’s part before the Mad Men actor was cast in the supporting role.
Kosinski recently sat down with Josh Horowitz on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast to do a watch-along of Top Gun: Maverick with the host. He opened up about what it was like shooting such a film on a massive scale, and shared some behind-the-scenes stories from the movie. Considering Kosinski had worked with many of the actors in the film, previously, the filmmaker was asked if any other actors almost made it into Top Gun 2, like Josh Brolin. He revealed that Brolin was in talks to play Jon Hamm’s role, Cyclone, in the film, but scheduling conflicts made it impossible. He said:
