‘Top Gun’ sequel shelved after director’s suicide

Paramount Pictures recently approached director Tony Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer about creating a sequel to the 1986 Tom Cruise classic “Top Gun.” Preparations seemed to be going smoothly. Peter Craig was hired to write the script and Scott, along with Cruise, scouted Nevada for possible filming locations. But on August 19 Scott died of apparent suicide when he jumped off a bridge in California. Notes to his family were found in his office but offered no real explanation as to why he committed suicide. Out of respect for Scott and his loved ones producers have put the film on hold. Paramount executives are even considering the possibility of scraping the film altogether. At his funeral Denzel Washington said, “Tony Scott was a great director, a genuine friend and it is unfathomable to think that he is now gone.” Directors UK chairman Charles Sturridge stated, “Tony Scott was a brilliant British director with an extraordinary ability to create energy on screen, both in action and in the creation of character.”