Christopher McQuarrie, the proposed screenwriter for Top Gun 2, says there will be no sequel in which Maverick is not in the starring role. The comments come just days after director Tony Scott suggested the film would focus on younger pilots, a move that would seem to diminish the role of Tom Cruise's famous character from the original film.

Regardless of whether Cruise stars in the film, we've yet to hear what role Anthony Edwards will play. Might I suggest "Moose," the lovable twin brother of "Goose," who meets Maverick while searching for a lost treasure map hidden in his dead brother's helmet. It's just a suggestion. Take it or leave it. (Vulture via /Film)

Paramount's attempts to woo Tony Scott back for a Top Gun sequel were a success. Though it won't be his next film, the director seems pretty excited to show off the nerdy side of the 'new' Navy.
"I'm not waiting for a script. I'm going to do my homework. I'm going down to I think it's Fallon, Nevada, down near New Mexico and it's a whole different world now… These computer geeks — these kids play war games in a trailer in Fallon, Nevada and if we ever wentto war or were in the Middle East or the Far East or wherever it is, these guys can actually fly drones. They are unmanned aircraft. They operate them and then they party all night."
Without any actual pilots, the story has nothing at stake. The drama of the original Top Gun was watching Maverick push himself to his limits and beyond in the cockpit. Now the biggest challenge is going to be watching Taylor Lautner get video game thumb. Which, in all fairness, does really hurt. (HitFix)

In this exclusive clip from Tony Scott's Unstoppable, Denzel Washington tries to enlist Chris Pine's help in an attempt stop a runaway train carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals. Obviously some heavy convincing is necessary. Most people don't want to go to head with the equivilant of a nuclear missile.
Check out the clip after the jump. Unstoppable crashes into theaters November 14th.

Smack dab in the middle of the Danger Zone.
27-year-old billionaire financier David Ellison loves two things most in this world: counting money and flying. He helped finance and starred in the film Flyboys, and now he wants to head down the highway to the Danger Zone with Top Gun 2. Vulture reports that Paramount is pitching the sequel to Tony Scott, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Tom Cruise, knowing full well that Ellison will pick up a huge chunk of the tab.
The studio has also talked with Christopher McQuarrie about writing the script. McQuarrie and Cruise are BFFs after working together on Valkyrie. The original Maverick has agreed to a small part in the film, "provided it's not too 'obvious' a part." Looks like flying jets is out. Damn, that would have been a really cool way to see Maverick. Maybe he can just repair the new pilot's motorcycle and offer sage advice. No word yet if Val Kilmer, the Ice Man himself, will be involved in the project. If he wants a not too obvious part he could try out for the tarmac.

Denzel Washington and Tony Scott have a bigger fascination with trains than imaginative eight-year-old boys or fifty-year-old listless husbands. This time Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson board the duo's ride in the new trailer for Unstoppable. The film tells the story of an experienced engineer (Washington) who finds himself teaming up with a young conductor (Pine) in a race against time, with a runaway train carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals. Ageism and flash-frame-dissolve-cross-fade-smash-cuts are big themes. Oh Tony Scott, you shake that camera like you've got a bad case of palsy, and we love you for it.

Please don't smoke that thing while Tony's enjoying his cigar, Shia.
Tony Scott is rumored to be close to directing the adaptation of John Grisham's The Associate. From his successful "lawyers running away from things" series, The Associate is set to star Shia LaBeouf with The Departed's William Monahan on scripting duties.
This isn't confirmed yet and Scott has enough on his plate with Potsdamer Platz, Hell's Angels, and that Chippendales movie, so take the news with a grain of salt. I don't see why they really need a director for this project. John Grisham movies kind of just direct themselves. Do studios really need to pay millions upon millions of dollars to have someone say, "Okay Shia. What you're giving me right now is a light jog. I need a jaunt. Get them legs up. That's good. Okay. Now go get double-crossed by Gene Hackman." (LA Times)

Hey, you! Get your damn hands off her!Joseph Kosinski, who is currently wrapping up Tron: Legacy, has signed on to direct Archangels, a film described as a cross between a "Bourne-style thriller" and a sci-fi alien adventure. The project is being produced by Scott Free, the production company owned by Ridley Scott and Tony Scott.The film will center around an "elite fighting force" that tracks down uninvited aliens who manage to sneak onto Earth. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Pat Buchanan had started writing sci-fi scripts. It's about time! (/Film)

Hells Angels founding member Sonny Barger OR Mickey Rourke circa 1994?In addition to Potsdamer Platz, Mickey Rourke is circling another Tony Scott project, and he's circling this one menacingly on a motorcycle while yelling hate speech. Typical Mickey.Rourke is up for the role of the outlaw Sonny Barger in Hells Angels, a script that Scott has been developing for ten years. Now, Scott Frank has been brought in to rework the script that tells the story of a young cop who infiltrates the nefarious gang. This is spot-on casting. I can't think of a single actor more appropriate than Mickey Rourke for the grizzled Hells Angels founder. You could have a motorcycle growing out of your ass, and Mickey Rourke would still be more appropriate for the role. (Deadline)

"COOKIE???!!!"Looks like Tony Scott will finally have the chance to make his passion project Potsdamer Platz after nattering on and on about it for the last decade. Sheesh, we get it. You like movies about trains.The film, about a New Jersey crime family expanding their business nationally, is expected to undergo a title and locale change as the latest script has the action moving from Germany to Puerto Rico. Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, and Javier Bardem are all rumored to be circling the project. Though if Bardem drops out, Scott can probably get Jeffrey Dean Morgan at a bargain rate. It's also being reported that the Crimson Tide director is trying to lure Gene Hackman out of retirement to take part in the film, but inside sources say that isn't happening. I could have told you that. Dude is way too into taking bong rips and playing Forza Motorsport 3 to waste his time making movies. (Deadline)

Who knew Tony Scott had it in him. According to Variety, Scott has taken a liking to Chippendales, the formal male strippers in bowties, cufflinks, and, a must for any fancy event, leather pants.With a tone similar to the Scott-directed "True Romance," pic will follow the improbable rise and fall of Chippendales creator Steve Banerjee, who went from pumping gas in Culver City to running a high-end nightclub that evolved into Chippendales. After hiring a New York choreographer to polish the all-male dance troupe, Banerjee became wildly rich, as well as unreasonably competitive and paranoid. Banerjee hired a hitman to murder the choreographer when negotiations went sour. After being arrested, Banerjee died in jail awaiting trial.Now that's a Cinderella story if I've ever heard one. Minus the contract killing and all-male dance troupe. In regard to casting, no actors are attached yet, but there's gotta be a part in there somewhere for Denzel Washington. I could show you a photoshopped picture now of Denzel's head on a Chippendale's body, but I'm not gonna 'cause you want it too much.