While next year's Top Gun: Maverick will put its titular fighter pilot back in the fighter pilot decades after the classic original film, the upcoming sequel will utilize new technology to capture the actors in supersonic action rather than rely on computer-generated graphics to depict their high-flying adventures.
According to Jon Hamm, the production is using previously unseen technology to film the sequel's aerial sequences in the highest resolution possible. Additionally, Hamm notes that stuntmen and several cast members will actually be filmed in cockpits going at high speeds rather than being constructed through CGI.
"They’re using some technology on this that is never before seen. We’re shooting the movie in, I think, 6K. So it’s incredibly hi-def. The aerial footage is mind-blowing," explained Hamm in an interview with Cinema Blend. "It’s mostly practical. There’s not a lot of CG. Those guys are really up in planes and getting thrown around in multiple Gs."
The notion of returning star Tom Cruise putting himself in harm's way to film action sequences is not particularly new. The movie star has performed many of his own dangerous stunts through the Mission: Impossible franchise to thrill audiences worldwide. And while Top Gun: Maverick will push the limit with its technology and stunts, Hamm assures fans that it will also recapture the feeling of the 1986 film.
"They’ve achieved a very similar vibe to the first one. I think it’s gonna be, for the people who love the first movie I think it’s gonna be very interesting to watch," Hamm continued. "It very much takes the story in a different direction. But I think for the new fans it’s gonna be something very cool, too. I’ve seen some of the footage, it is out of this world."
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, from a screenplay by Peter Craig, Justin Marks and Eric Warren Singer, Top Gun: Maverick stars Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Val Kilmer, Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Manny Jacinto, and more. The film is scheduled to be released on June 26, 2020.