Enter, the Danger Zone.
The first trailer for “Top Gun: Maverick” was released last week, and some social media users immediately noticed that the jacket Tom Cruise’s character wears no longer contains patches from Taiwan and Japan – and the move could possible have been made in order to appease China, as a Chinese tech company is one of the film’s producers, CNN reported this week.
Correspondent Mark MacKinnon recently took to Twitter to point out the missing flag patches.
He wrote, “There’s a new Top Gun movie coming out. And Maverick is wearing the same leather jacket – only this time it’s Communist Party of China-approved, so the Japanese and Taiwanese flag patches are gone (screenshot on right is from the new trailer)…”
There’s a new Top Gun movie coming out. And Maverick is wearing the same leather jacket – only this time it’s Communist Party of China-approved, so the Japanese and Taiwanese flag patches are gone (screenshot on right is from the new trailer)… pic.twitter.com/gUxFNFNUKX
— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) July 19, 2019
The Japanese and Taiwanese patches appear to have been replaced with unknown, similarly colored patches. Social media users are speculating that this was done due to the growing rift between China and Taiwan, and because the Chinese tech company Tencent is listed as one of Paramount Pictures’ partners on the film; users think the move is because Paramount likely doesn’t want to alienate the Chinese market, Movie Web reported.
“‘Mystery’ solved. China’s Tencent Pictures is one of the main producers of Top Gun Maverick,” MacKinnon also wrote.
“Mystery” solved. China’s Tencent Pictures is one of the main producers of Top Gun Maverick: pic.twitter.com/FE4Xq5qKwN
— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) July 19, 2019
Tom Cruise surprised fans and revealed the first movie trailer for “Top Gun: Maverick” at Comic-Con in San Diego on Thursday.
Watch it here:
“You should be at least a two-star Admiral by now, yet here you are – Captain. What is that,” actor Ed Harris asks Cruise in the opening scene of the trailer.
“It’s one of life’s mysteries, sir,” Cruise responds.
The movie wrapped up filming aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in August 2018.
Cruise had announced the start of production in May by posting an Instagram photo that said, “Feel the Need.”
Cruise will reprise his original role of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the sequel, and Miles Teller is playing the son of Goose, Maverick’s co-pilot in the original film.
Top Gun, released in 1986, was said to generate many enlistments in the military after its release.
“Top Gun: Maverick” is slated for release in 2020.
