Top Gun: Maverick is letting fans turn themselves into aviators.
Paramount Pictures has launched the website whatsmycallsign.com, which uses a device's camera and a short questionnaire to generate personalized call signs emblazoned on AR-designed helmets. The studio also released a video explaining the importance of call signs for fighter pilots, featuring cast member Jay Ellis and the film's Naval Aviation Technical Advisor/Aerial Coordinator, Captain Brian "Ferg" Ferguson.
The video runs through the various call signs of the Top Gun: Maverick cast, ranging from cool names such as Maverick, Rooster, Coyote, Phoenix, and Payback to the more straightforward Bob. Ellis plays Payback, one of the new cast members. "When you hear their call sign, you're hearing a bit of their history," he says in the video.
The sequel continues the story of Tom Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, who's signed up to train a new generation of fighter pilots. In his new assignment, he confronts Rooster, the son of LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw. Goose was a friend to Mitchell, who died assisting him in a training engagement during their early days at the Topgun. Mitchell must ensure the success of his mission and the safety of his students while dealing with his demons.
Along with Cruise, Val Kilmer also returns as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky from the 1986 original. That film saw his and Cruise's characters compete against one another for the Topgun trophy. Cruise called Kilmer's return critical to the Top Gun sequel. "I really rallied hard for him to make the movie," Cruise said. "The kind of talent that he has, and you see that scene, it's very special, it's just very special."
After a special screening at CinemaCon and a red carpet premiere in San Diego, the reviews for Top Gun: Maverick surfaced online, and they have been overwhelmingly positive. Critics have lauded the film, with some calling it an "edge-of-your-seat" experience and others claiming it's "the best movie in 10 years."
The sequel took a long time to get made, with the production team shooting over 800 hours of footage for Top Gun 2, ensuring the aerial scenes looked as good as possible. "I developed a whole program for the actors, and how we could get them in the [F/A-18s]," Cruise explained. "It was every step of the way. I had to teach them how to fly. I had to teach them how to handle Gs. I had to get them confident in the airplane."
Top Gun: Maverick will release in early fan screenings on May 24 and open worldwide in theaters on May 27.
Source: whatsmycallsign.com, YouTube