Suicidal movie mogul Tony Scott spent his final days with actor Tom Cruise preparing to film a sequel to the 1986 blockbuster movie “Top Gun,” according to reports.
They were seen last Friday in Fallon, Nev., touring the desert military town that has been home to the US Navy’s “Top Gun” air-to-air combat program since 1996 when the school moved from San Diego.
Cruise and Scott were also spotted talking to Navy officials and doing other prep work at Naval Air Station Fallon, according to local TV station KOLO.
Military officials confirmed that Cruise and a crew were in town for “Top Gun 2” but couldn’t confirm that the movie would be shot in the area.
Scott leaped to his death Sunday off a 185-foot-high bridge in Los Angeles. The the fate of the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced sequel is now unclear.
While details of the plot are scarce, Cruise was expected to reprise his role as hot-shot pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.
A script in the works last week is said to reflect the advances in aviation technology since the 1980s, particularly the use of combat drones.
Cruise, who was seen leaving an LA restaurant alone just hours after the news of Scott’s death broke, said in a statement Monday: “Tony was my dear friend and I will really miss him. He was a creative visionary whose mark on film is immeasurable. My deepest sorrow and thoughts are with his family at this time.”
Meanwhile, it appears that Scott’s real-life “final film” is a horror picture.
Several people claim to have recorded the famed director’s last moments alive as he scaled a fence on the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro and plummeted to his death in the murky waters below.
The footage is being “vigorously shopped around,” according to TMZ.
Yesterday, authorities refused to disclose the results of an autopsy performed on Scott’s body Monday, and findings have been deferred until more tests are completed, including a toxicology report for any drugs in his system.
It’s likely to be weeks before results are released.
While Scott’s family has disputed reports that he suffered from inoperable brain cancer, health issues are among possible reasons being explored, according to the LA County Department of Coroner.
Scott left several “instructional” notes to family and friends, said Craig Harvey, a chief at the coroner’s office.
Eyewitnesses on the bridge said Scott parked his black Toyota Prius before jumping.
“He was on the roadway close to the fence looking around. He was looking around and fumbling with something at his feet. He looked nervous,” witness David Silva told the Los Angeles Times.
“I thought it was some extreme-sports guy.”
He said Scott “paused a couple of seconds and then began to climb the fence. He put his foot on the top of the fence and paused again. And then he threw himself off — I immediately thought, ‘That guy is dead.’ ”
Scott was familiar with the bridge. In 2010 he filmed reshoots for his movie “Unstoppable” in a railroad yard beneath the span, and a 2009 episode of the TV series “Numb3rs,” which Scott produced, was shot nearby.