Top Gun: Maverick director says he’s finishing film as if there’s no delay

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

TOP GUN: MAVERICK became one of many films that were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Originally set for release on June 24, the film has been pushed to December 23, 2020, and while that delay would suggest there might be some breathing room to take a bit of a break, director Joseph Kosinski says he's finishing the film as if it was opening on its original date.

While speaking to "ComicBook.com", Kosinski made his feelings clear about the film's delay:

"We're sticking to our schedule and finishing the movie just as if it were coming out on its original release date. Luckily, I'm in the home stretch of post-production where, despite all the restrictions of how you can work now, I'm able to continue doing my job and finish the movie, which is pretty amazing. If I were in any other phase of the project, it would be hard to do that, but because I'm in the tail-end of post, I'm able to do everything I need to to be able to to finish it."

Kosinski and his team are one of the few live-action productions that are lucky enough to be able to complete post-production work remotely in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which has made Hollywood go dark with no productions set to get back to work anytime soon. Had they been in a different phase of production, this would've been impossible but with principal photography completed, Kosinski is in a better position than most to get his film done with plenty of time to do so. Even with more time, Kosinski and his team seem confident enough in the project that they're just going to stick to the schedule they had in place before the delay:

"We're sticking to our schedule and finishing the movie and just holding it for six months, which is such an interesting thing to do but it's the right decision because this is a movie that people need to see on the big screen and if there's no big screen, then you don't want to release this movie. We want this to be a shared experience on as big a screen as possible."

It makes sense that the film should be experienced on the big screen rather than having the film go straight to a digital release. There is too much money on the table, for one, and the film has been shot using practical effects, in what Tom Cruise has promised are some of the most daring scenes ever filmed. The fact that there are practically very few visual effects is what is making post-production an easier task to complete remotely when compared to other big-budget films. 

TOP GUN: MAVERICK is the highly anticipated followup to 1986's TOP GUN and, after more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Maverick (Tom Cruise) is still flying daring flight missions for the Navy and avoiding advancements in rank that would prevent him from getting on a plane again. The arrival of the son of his late friend Goose as a new cadet forces Maverick to confront the ghosts from his past while training a fresh batch of recruits for their most dangerous mission yet. The film also stars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell & Val Kilmer.

Will YOU feel the need for speed and see TOP GUN: MAVERICK when it opens in December?