Legendary director Ridley Scott gives stamp of approval to ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Ridley Scott is one of the greatest living directors whose impressive career spans decades. His career spans from classics like Alien, Blade Runner, and Thelma & Louise right to modern hits like House of Gucci. At 84-years-old, age hasn’t slowed him down one bit: he’s working on a Napoleon biopic with Joaquin Phoenix and work has begun on Gladiator 2.

But it’s worth remembering that he isn’t the only top director in the family. Tony Scott directed hits like Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, and Man on Fire, though he died in tragic circumstances in 2012. Now Top Gun: Maverick is finally hitting theaters next month, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer put on a special screening for Ridley Scott to get the renowned director’s feedback.

In a new interview with Empire, Bruckheimer revealed that the director was impressed with how his brother’s legacy was being honored.

“One of the most heartwarming things I experienced is when we showed the movie to Tony’s brother, Ridley,. He was laudatory in his praise for the film and the kind of care that Tom [Cruise] took to honour Tony throughout the movie. That was foremost in everybody’s mind.”

Maverick has been a very long time coming. The initial shoot took place way back in 2018, with production wrapping in early 2019. The original plan was for it to land that summer, though the film was delayed in order to iron out kinks in the complex flight sequences.

Then COVID hit, disrupting the movie industry’s carefully laid plans for 2020 and 2021. This means the film has been in the can for quite some time, with Paramount screening the first 13 minutes of the movie during 2021 CinemaCon. Reactions were ecstatic, with the CEO of AMC Theaters describing it as “incredible” and reporting that Paramount’s CEO considers it a “perfect movie.”

We’ll get to see whether Top Gun Maverick lives up to its hype soon. The first screening will take place at CinemaCon on April 28, followed by a wide release on May 27. But seeing that it’s already got the Ridley Scott seal of approval, it’s safe to say that Cruise’s return to the cockpit is here to exceed expectations.