Meg Ryan Returning For Top Gun: Maverick Was Never On The Table

Nostalgia is a hell of a feeling, and if there's one thing we've learned over the years, it's that it sells. Just look at the wild success of "Stranger Things" or "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." You can go back even further to a TV show like "The Wonder Years" and, before that, "Happy Days." As if we needed any more evidence that people love feeling nostalgic, though, all you need to do is look at what a phenomenon "Top Gun: Maverick" became in 2022. It earned the top spot at the box office with a gross of nearly $1.5 billion (prior to the arrival of a certain James Cameron sequel, that is), and beyond that, it was also critically lauded and even snagged a nomination for Best Picture at the 95th Academy Awards.

There's just something about seeing old characters and references that audiences love. It gives us comfort. But that's why it's a little surprising that the team behind "Top Gun: Maverick" didn't lean into that feeling even harder by bringing back more of the original cast, like Kelly McGillis or, more surprisingly, Meg Ryan. While we can understand McGillis being left out of the film (since it's only natural that the filmmakers might want to give Pete "Maverick" Mitchell a new love interest), Ryan's absence is felt a little more. After all, the plot focuses on her character's son. But while it might have made sense to include the beloved actor, it turns out it was never even a consideration.

Meg Ryan didn't have a huge role in the original "Top Gun," but she was still plenty memorable as Goose's wife, Carole Bradshaw. Who can forget her delivery of the line, "Goose, you big stud, take me to bed or lose me forever"? She was also at the emotional center of the film, giving a terrific performance in a pivotal scene with Tom Cruise following Goose's death.

That death is still felt in "Top Gun: Maverick," as Maverick has to reckon with his past and help Goose's son, Rooster (played by Miles Teller), reach his potential in the cockpit. It also forms the main conflict of the film, with Maverick feeling guilt over Goose's death while Rooster maintains a grudge. So it certainly would have made sense to include Ryan's character. However, director Joseph Kosinski told Insider that he didn't feel like there was room in the story for Ryan (or McGillis, for that matter):

"Those weren't stories that we were throwing around. I didn't want every storyline to always be looking backwards. It was important to introduce some new characters."

Instead, we learn Ryan's character died in between the two movies, and the story focuses purely on the tension between Maverick and Rooster. While we might raise an eyebrow at Kosinski not wanting to look backward too much in a movie built around nostalgia (not to mention, him just-so-happening to leave out two of the rare female characters from the first "Top Gun" film), we certainly can't argue with the results. Because when it comes to "Top Gun: Maverick," it proved itself as the best of the best in 2022.