Maverick’s Aviator Jacket Caused A Huge Problem In Top Gun 2

screenrant.com:

With all of the challenges facing the production of Top Gun: Maverick, its biggest creative hindrance may have been the reintroduction of the main character's aviator jacket. Top Gun was one of the most successful pure action blockbusters of the '80s, despite mixed critical reactions, and it helped propel star Tom Cruise as a prominent genre lead. Nearly 30 years in the making, the sequel is far more massive, possessing ten times the budget and stitched together from over 800 hours of footage to outdo the original's stunning aerial combat sequences.

The long-awaited sequel will feature the heroic return of Cruise's Pete «Maverick» Mitchell, instructing a new class of TOPGUN trainees that will engage in a special mission under Maverick's former rival, Tom «Iceman» Kazansky (Val Kilmer). Based on trailers and other promotional materials, the film's flying scenes are sure to be a spectacle, even if they did contribute to the enormous amount of footage. Actors had to learn in-flight camera configuration on the spot for many of those shots, and outside of the cockpit, they had to go through a Tom Cruise boot camp to prepare for the film. But despite the technical and physical challenges, perhaps the trickiest element to find a resolution for was Maverick's jacket.

Related: Top Gun 2's Original Movie Differences Show How Tom Cruise Has Changed

In an Empire exclusive, writer Christopher McQuarrie explains that one of the most frustrating creative hurdles while penning Top Gun: Maverick involved possibly reintroducing the protagonist's patch-laden aviator jacket from the original film. However, neither McQuarrie nor Cruise wanted to bring the jacket back. McQuarrie was surprised when that idea proved controversial, saying, "The