China’s complicated censorship policies made it so thatTop Gun: Mavericknever made it to the People’s Republic. However, even the Chinese film industry’s attempt to release its ownTop Gunnow appears doomed, asBorn to Flyhas been pulled due to concerns about the movie’s quality.
Top Gun: Maverickhad a short-lived love affair with Chinese investors, as gaming and tech juggernaut Tencent had invested around $21 million to finance the sequel before it eventually pulled out of the deal, fearing backlash from the Chinese Communist Party. In the meantime,Born to Fly(长空之王), a film closely resemblingTop Gunin more ways than one, had been scheduled for an October 1 premiere, which happens to be the National Day of the People’s Republic of China.
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Surprisingly, this release never came, and perThe Hollywood Reporter’s account, the main reason might have been thatBorn to Fly’s stunts, special effects and aerial theatrics simply paledin comparison toTop Gun: Maverick. According to some sources, that inferior quality would not have been appreciated by the Chinese film bureau, especially for a movie placing so much focus on military prowess, as it would have made China’s Air Force look bad versus Tom Cruise and company. Even though the film lacks a release date, a few trailers with English subtitles are still available online.
The similarities betweenBorn to FlyandTop Gunare pretty obvious. Not only does the Chinese movie copy a similar aesthetic from the poster, but some scenes or shots also attempt to emulate Joseph Kosinski’s camera work, although its characterization of the Chinese Chengdu J-20 aircraft as a fourth-generation fighter instead of the fifth-gen jet that it is was probably a bad omen from the start.Born to Flywas directed by Liu Xiaoshi and stars Chinese pop sensation Wang Yibo in the lead role.
Unlike past propagandistic Chinese blockbusters like 2021’sThe Battle at Lake Changjin,which was commissioned by the CCP and made a whopping US$913 million in China (onlysurpassed bySpider-Man: No Way Home),Born to Flywas made by well-known private Chinese studios such as Alibaba Pictures and Bona Film Group.Born to Fly’s producing companies put out a statement saying the film would be delayed to improve visual effects, but it’s currently unknown when that will be or if the movie will come out at all.
China has grown more restrictive ofcultural imports such asWorld of Warcraftover the past couple of years and banningTop Gundue to Pete Mitchell’s Taiwan patch on his jacket only made the movie more popular in that country. If recreatingTop Gun: Maverick’s magic and practical effects was the goal, the filmmakers sure set their sights on an impossible mission.
