Top Gun Sequel Falls Apart, But 3-D Version Headed For Cinemas

Top Gun Sequel Falls Apart, But 3-D Version Headed For Cinemas

The Top Gun Sequel - which was set to star Tom Cruise - has fallen apart in the wake of director Tony Scott's death. The filmmaker committed suicide on August 19, 2012, leaving Paramount Pictures executives with no choice but to scrap the sequel and focus attention on a 3-D version of the original movie.

According to the New York Times, the 3-D version was completed earlier this year by Legend3D, who specialize in converting conventional movies into three-dimensional films. It had been scheduled as a way to whet the appetite for the sequel that was being planned by Scott, Cruise and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Now, with the second movie no longer in pre-production, Paramount are left with a 3-D movie that could be perceived as a tribute to the director's death. It could still be a box-office success, though only if it's not perceived to be exploitative of opportunistic. In its 3-D format, Titanic took over $342 million worldwide, with a conversion cost of just $18 million. Top Gun - with its aerial action and motorcycle stunts - would probably lend itself well to the format and seems a natural candidate, though Scott's death makes things a little more complex.

The director had responded enthusiastically to the conversion in the weeks before his death, though his attention was solely focused on the fresh new sequel.