Tom Cruise could be set to shoot in the UAE for Top Gun: Maverick, the much-anticipated sequel to the 1986 classic film Top Gun.
The American star famously filmed hair-raising stunts for 2011's Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol in Dubai. Cruise was spotted on Twitter enjoying a visit to the home of former Dubai Media Incorporated chief Ahmad Al Shaikh.
Cruise is now staying in Abu Dhabi, The National confirmed.
Rumours of an upcoming UAE shoot ahead of the film's projected July 2019 release are at fever pitch within the local movie industry with one well-placed source confirming that filming will take place here, although no-one was prepared to comment on the record.
The cast and crew all have ties to the UAE
Beyond Cruise, the new movie’s main cast and crew all have links to the UAE.
Top Gun: Maverick is a Jerry Bruckheimer production, as was the 2014 horror Deliver Us from Evil, which shot scenes in the Liwa desert, and in twofour54's Studio B in Mussafah.
Chad Oman, the Deliver Us from Evil executive producer was in the UAE for the shoot and revealed on the set at the time that he was already scouting to shoot future movies in the UAE:
"There are another couple of Bruckheimer projects in the pipeline that need this kind of environment, so while I'm here I'm going out on Monday to scout possible locations for two more projects," he said in 2013 when Top Gun 2 was in the planning stages.
Oman also revealed that his positive experience of shooting here was likely to catalyse further visits in future: "This was an opportunity to try Abu Dhabi out and see if we could potentially shoot a whole movie here. We've been really pleased with the crew and with twofour54 intaj as the production company," he told Digital Studio ME.
"When we need this sort of location everyone always thinks of Morocco, or maybe Jordan, but we now have another option, and with the rebate for filming in Abu Dhabi, and the fact it’s probably safer, it’s possibly a better option.”
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Read more:
The stars coming to Middle East Film & Comic Con this year
‘We were flying the Millennium Falcon, X-Wings and TIE Fighters over Abu Dhabi’
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Oman is currently working on Ang Lee's Will Smith starrer Gemini Man, which is shooting in Savannah, Georgia. Oman's co-producer on that movie is Michael Fottrell, who was in Abu Dhabi in 2014 as producer of Furious 7. Gemini Man is, like Top Gun: Maverick, a Bruckheimer production.
Drone warfare will reportedly play a key role in the Top Gun sequel's plot. Some of North America's leading drone specialists are in the capital for the Race 3 shoot, which starts tomorrow – could they be set to extend their stay to work on Top Gun?
The National approached both twofour54 Abu Dhabi and Dubai Film and TV Commission, however both declined to comment at this stage.
We'll leave you with a nostalgic reminder of the original and legendary 1986 film:
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
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RESULT
Valencia 3
Kevin Gameiro 21', 51'
Ferran Torres 67'
Atlanta 4
Josip Llicic 3' (P), 43' (P), 71', 82'
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
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Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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