©Courtesy of “Top Gun : Maverick”

Director Joseph Kosinski is reportedly linking up with producer Jerry Bruckheimer to make what is being described as a “UFO conspiracy thriller.” The project, which was first revealed in The Hollywood Reporter, has already touched off an aggressive bidding war from major studios, a list that includes Amazon, Apple, Lionsgate, Paramount, and Warner Bros.

No details have yet been released about the cast or budget, but it’s known that Zach Baylin has been attached to pen the screenplay. Baylin, who won an Oscar nomination for King Richard, has also written screenplays for Creed III, Gran Turismo, and The Order.
Adding credibility to the venture is David Grusch, who will serve as a consultant to the upcoming film. Grush is a former Air Force officer who has testified before Congress that the US government has been suppressing information about UFOs and alien sightings.

This will not be the first collaboration between Kosinski and Bruckheimer. This summer will see the release of F1, an action-packed feature they made about the highly competitive auto racing world. It stars Brad Pitt as an aging Formula One driver who has been recruited to return to the track and mentor a novice driver played by Damson Idris. F1’s cast also includes Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Kim Bodnia, and Javier Bardem. Warner Bros. Pictures secured F1‘s theatrical, home entertainment, and digital purchase distribution rights from Apple last year.

The Kosinski-Bruckheimer duo had earlier worked together on Top Gun: Maverick, the 2022 sequel to Top Gun, which had been released in 1986. Both films starred Tom Cruise in the role of a naval aviator. The recent sequel, which also included Val Kilmer reprising his role as Iceman, was written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie. The sequel earned more than $1.4 billion and won an Academy Award for Best Sound. It captured six other Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture.

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