Ridley Scott turned down directing ‘Top Gun’ sequel because he didn’t want to ‘follow’ his late brother

The late Tony Scott directed the first film.

Ridley Scott was asked to test the sequel Top pistolbut declined for sentimental reasons.

The Gladiator filmmaker revealed this in a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporterafter being questioned about it Top Gun: Maverick and whether it was “weird” to watch the director’s sequel Joseph Kosinski. (Kosinski succeeded Scott’s late brother Tony Scottwho directed the first action-adventure film in 1986.)

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“No,” it wasn’t weird, Scott said. “They asked me to direct it and I said, ‘I don’t want to follow my brother.’ Tony was always interested in today. A lot of my stuff is historical, fantasy or science fiction. Tony wasn’t into fantasy stuff Stranger or Blade Runner or Legend.”

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Tony Scott, who also directed classics like True romance And Man on fire, died by suicide in August 2012 at the age of 68. Scott’s extensive interview with THR even closed with a touching sentiment after the outlet asked if he wanted to add anything to the conversation. “I miss my brother,” Scott said.

Top pistol, a box office success and the highest-grossing film of the year, introduced Tom Cross‘s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a fighter pilot from the Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School. Cruise reprized the role for the sequel, which sees him train a new generation of pilots and confront the ghosts of his past. Val Kilmer also returned as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, starring alongside franchise newcomers Odometer And Glen Powell.

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The sequel paid tribute to the late Scott with a memorial dedication as the credits rolled at the end of the film. And although Outsider was also a huge box office success, it seems Ridley Scott was a fierce critic of it. Director Fede Álvarez, who revived Scott’s Stranger franchise with Alien: Romulusshared Scott’s response to Outsider at last year’s DGA Latino Summit as he talked about the nerve-wracking process of sending his Stranger film to the director.

“I wanted him to see it for everyone,” Álvarez said. “And everyone told me Ridley is really tough. . . I asked him about the new thing Top pistol and he says ‘meh.’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ And he said, ‘My brother’s was original and this is like eh.’ He really respected it, but you could see how tough he was. So I thought, ‘There’s no way I can win this one.’