In a new interview, iconic director David Cronenberg discussed his feelings about some of the films he passed on, including 1986's Top Gun.
Cronenberg told Variety that he has no real regrets about not directing the Tom Cruise-led action film. "Top Gun was about American military stuff. It’s true that I like machines, I like cars, I like airplanes," he explained. "But it just wasn’t something I was interested in to direct. Directing takes at least two years of your life. If you watch it, it takes two hours. So that’s the difference."
Top Gun isn't the only blockbuster from the 1980s that Cronenberg passed on directing; he also almost directed 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. "I do love science fiction and graphic novels. But as a director it’s different," he said. "The Star Wars story. This is a long time, long ago. I’m in my house in Toronto. The phone rings. I’m in my kitchen. The guy says, 'I'm from Lucasfilm. Are you David Cronenberg?' I say, 'yes.' He says, 'George Lucas is wondering if you would be interested in directing the next episode of Star Wars' ... And I said, well, I don’t usually do other people’s material at that point. I only did movies that I wrote. So immediately he hung up on me."
Cronenberg is returning to the science fiction genre for the first time since 1999's eXistenZ with his latest project, titled Crimes of the Future, which stars Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart. The dystopian movie, which features elements of body horror, is set to debut at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival (May 17 through May 28) and in the United States on June 3.
Coincidentally, Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 movie, will also feature at the Cannes Film Festival. Set 36 years after the original, the story follows an older Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Cruise) as he leads a training group of Top Gun graduates on a special mission. Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, the son of Maverick's friend Goose, who died in the first film, is among the members of the group.
Top Gun: Maverick received an exclusive screening at CinemaCon and early reviews have been extremely positive. One critic described the movie as "a profound cinematic experience," and another said it "might be the best movie in 10 years."
Alongside Top Gun, multiple David Cronenberg films, like The Fly and A History of Violence, are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Variety