The L-39 trainers could play the role of contractor owned, contractor operated adversary aircraft
A Hollywood “top” secret mission appears to be going down in Inyokern.
As reported by KGET.com, no one would confirm what exactly is happening at Inyokern Airport, but earlier Tuesday afternoon, Paramount Pictures production trucks were in the area, along with cameras, a P-51 Mustang World War II era fighter plane along with several black L-39 Albatros trainers belonging to Patriots Jet Team.
Currently Paramount Pictures is in production with “Top Gun: Maverick” starring Tom Cruise.
CHP was out enforcing road closures from West Bowman Road to Highway 395 south of Inyokern.
Although we don’t know if the P-51 and the L-39s are slated to take part in the movie, we can assume that the trainers could play the role of contractor owned, contractor operated (COCO) adversary aircraft.
Locals tell 17 News East Kern correspondent David Johnson, some crew members stopped by businesses in the area, and when asked, said the “Top Gun” sequel was what they were working on.
Noteworthy a new group of U.S. Naval Aviators will join Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer returning as Maverick and Iceman respectively in Top Gun: Maverick.
The newest recruit to be cast is Manny Jacinto, who will be playing a pilot named Fritz in the sequel. Jacinto joins a star-studded cast of Top Gun: Maverick which will continue the iconic movie of the ’80s.
According to Deadline, Manny Jacinto will join the Top Gun ensemble cast also including Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell and Monica Barbaro. Many of the details surrounding Top Gun: Maverick have yet to be disclosed, but some of the other casting specifics give us a small indication of the direction of the film. Teller has been cast as Goose’s son and will be Maverick’s new protégé – however the characters have been rumored to have a rocky relationship as well. Connelly will play the female lead, a single mother who runs the local bar near the Navy base, and possibly a new love interest for Maverick.
Noteworthy as already reported Maverick’s rides for Top Gun sequel will be a cool special painted F/A-18F Super Hornet (which recently experienced a mid-air issue while it was flying with Tom Cruise on board) and a new motorcycle that Tom Cruise already drove around airfield (as he did on a Kawasaki Ninja in the 1986 original) as shown in first pictures from Top Gun: Maverick set.
The highly anticipated sequel to 1986’s classic/action drama starring Tom Cruise as a U.S. Naval Aviator has been delayed a year to summer 2020.
The movie was assigned a theatrical release date of Jul. 12, 2019 last year, but unfortunately for eager fans, they’ll have to wait quite a while longer to see Cruise’s titular character take to the skies once again. Paramount in fact has delayed the sequel nearly an entire year, assigning it a new release date of Jun. 26, 2020.
The added production time will enable the filmmakers to properly coordinate and design the many breathtaking aerial sequences planned to be part of the sequel. Considering how well-remembered Top Gun’s flight scenes are today, it’s no surprise that those involved with Maverick intend for the sequel to up the ante in terms of aerial artistry, especially with how much special effects have advanced since 1986.
Top Gun: Maverick will likely feature the Navy’s new Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters alongside older Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.
Last month in fact, a film crew from Paramount Pictures was aboard aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) the same time the Navy began launching F-35C jets off the ship interchangeably with F/A-18E/F Super Hornets as an integrated air wing.
Tom Cruise teased the start of filming on the long-awaited Top Gun sequel on May 31, 2018 with a tweet featuring an image of an older Capt. Pete Mitchell standing in a flight suit with his famous HGU-33 helmet (that wore to fly his F-14A Tomcat) in hand.
Top Gun: Maverick will also see Kenny Loggins re-recording ‘Danger Zone’ for the movie.
Photo credit: David Johnson, High Desert News
Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com
