Summary

  • Top Gun: The Next Generation will feature intense flight sequences and real-life U.S. Navy pilots, providing a more realistic and immersive experience compared to Top Gun: Maverick's cinematic approach.
  • Despite borrowing the name from the film series, the documentary has nothing to do with the Top Gun characters, focusing instead on the stories of real-life pilots who fly challenging jets.
  • The docuseries will likely appeal to viewers of the Top Gun films, offering a compelling companion and a good airplane fix while awaiting a potential Top Gun 3.

A Top Gun based docuseries following real-life pilots-in-training is now in the works. The Top Gun franchise recently got its resurgence with the box office hit Top Gun: Maverick. Praised for its cinematography and aircraft-based stunt work, Top Gun: Maverick was met with widespread critical acclaim and went on to be nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, ultimately winning the Oscar for Best Sound.

According to National Geographic, a documentary series based on Top Gun is now in the works. Collaborating with Rex, National Geographic will follow U.S. Navy pilots training to fly “the world’s most advanced jet - the F-35C Lightning II.” The series will be an observational documentary with “unprecedented” access to its subjects. The working title of the docuseries is Top Gun: The Next Generation.

How Will Top Gun: The Next Generation Appeal To Top Gun Fans?

Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle in Top Gun: Maverick

While Top Gun: Maverick did use actual planes for their stunts, Top Gun: The Next Generation will feature even more intense flight sequences. Filming actual U.S. Navy training, the series will show airplane work without the sterilization of stunt choreography, as real pilots succeed and flounder. The result will likely be less pristine than the florid cinematography of Top Gun: Maverick, but more realistic and immersive given the observational documentary approach.

It is interesting for Top Gun: The Next Generation to borrow its name from the popular film series, given that the documentary has nothing to do with the Top Gun characters in reality. Top Gun: The Next Generation is not a behind-the-scenes look at Tom Cruise and his other cast members, but rather examines stories of real-life pilots who fly similarly challenging jets. The name ultimately comes from a real-life program in the military, but the two will draw obvious comparisons.

As Top Gun: The Next Generation approaches, it will be interesting to see how viewers of the Top Gun films interact with the docuseries. In the eyes of those for whom the visual component of Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick is the most compelling, Top Gun: The Next Generation is the perfect companion to the films. Even for those on the fence, Top Gun: The Next Generation might be a good airplane fix while viewers wait for a seemingly inevitable Top Gun 3.

Source: National Geographic