Top Gun: Encyclopedia II - Top Gun - Conception

Top Gun - Conception

Top Gun - Inspirations

The primary inspiration for the film was discovered by producer Jerry Bruckheimer when he found an article in the May 1983 issue of California magazine which would form the basis of the film. The article, Top Guns, was about fighter pilots at the Miramar Naval Air Station, located near San Diego, nicknamed "Fightertown USA".

Bruckheimer's reaction to the article was instantaneous: "This looks like Star Wars on earth." However, producer Don Simpson, who had worked on Flashdance and Beverly Hills Cop in the past with Bruckheimer was not as impressed and his reaction to the title of the article did not mirror Bruckheimer's excitement. Simpson dismissed the idea without reading the article, originally thinking that the article was western-orientated. However, after Bruckheimer persuaded Simpson to read the piece, Simpson was as convinced as Bruckheimer on the project.

Top Gun - Script

Numerous screenwriters turned down the project, Bruckheimer and Simpson went on to hire Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr., to write the first draft. The research methods, by Epps, included an attendance at several declassified Top Gun classes at Miramar and gaining experience by being flown in an F-14. The first draft failed to capture the imagination of Bruckheimer and Simpson, and the first draft is considered to be very different from the final product in numerous ways.

The film needed the assistance of the United States Navy. The Navy was willing to aid the film on three conditions: the film must benefit the service; the script must be authentic; and it must be in good taste. Though the Navy hated the film An Officer and a Gentleman, which did not follow any of the criteria that the Navy provided to the Top Gun producers, and which was an embarrassment to the Navy's reputation, the Navy still recognized that it may have aided naval recruitment - an idea which may have been influential in the decision to cooperate with Top Gun producers.

It was a beneficial deal to both parties: the Navy would be able to oversee the production of the film to avoid further degradation to its reputation, and the Top Gun producers would save millions of dollars by being allowed to access Navy personnel, installations and equipment, as well as waived costs of operations such as launches and landings.

The US Navy held a powerful position in relation to script approval with immediate changes being made. The opening dogfight was moved to international waters as opposed to Cuba. The Navy department's Robert Manning stated: "We said it had to be over international waters - and we insisted that the Navy pilots would not fire until they had been fired upon." Bad language was trimmed and a scene that involved a crash on the deck of an aircraft carrier was also scrapped.

Tom Cruise was the first choice for the lead in the film. Cruise, however, was not totally convinced by the script offered to him and did not sign a contract, but rather agreed to develop the script with them and to go from there. Cruise was to influence the direction of the script in a major way. He wanted a more competitive edge to the film, so the semi-fictional Top Gun trophy was introduced (there had been an inter-service air-to-air gunnery competition in the 1940s and 50s, but the Navy quickly discouraged competitive flying). Cruise, along with Paramount executive Dawn Steel, was not convinced that the lead's love interest was appropriate, claiming that a "female who hangs around bars trying to snare a Navy husband" was an insulting stereotype.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Conception", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki