When it comes to anime crossing over with Western pop culture, we’ve seen our fair share of these worlds colliding in the past. Deadpool has teamed up with All Might to fight against the Mad Titan Thanos, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy fought against the behemoths of Attack on Titan, and various celebrities have participated in anime works. In an unexpected twist, one of the biggest action movies in recent years is preparing to team up with a mech franchise that has long been royalty within the medium since the early 1980s.
In a surprise collaboration, the Paramount franchise and the legendary anime series have teamed up to create a new collectable dubbed “VF-25 Messiah Valkyrie Top Gun: Maverick.” With pre-orders for the new fusion merchandise now available, the model plan that can transform into a mech will be shipped out this September. If you want more of a description of this wild partnership, here’s how Bandai Namco describes the merch:
“Macross” and the international hit film “Top Gun: Maverick” have come together for this incredible collaboration! The VF-25, sporting the same color scheme as Maverick’s beloved plane from “Top Gun: Maverick,” is finally here! The Battroid mode’s head incorporates design elements from Maverick’s helmet. A display stand that allows for three different modes is included, as well as a separate special commemorative stand. The special stand is designed to allow for display in both Fighter and GERWALK modes.” You can check out the model for yourselves below.
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Top Gun’s Future, Anime And Otherwise
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A third entry in the Top Gun franchise has yet to be confirmed by Paramount, though this doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Star Tom Cruise spoke to the idea of a sequel last year during a morning show interview, talking about the creation of Top Gun: Maverick and how long it took to bring part two to the silver screen. Specifically, while a story has yet to be fully fleshed out for a potential third entry in the series, Cruise confirms that it is something on the back burner.
“Yeah, we’re thinking and talking about many different stories and what could we do and what’s possible. It took me 35 years to figure out Top Gun: Maverick, so all of these things we’re working on, we’re discussing Days of Thunder and Top Gun: Maverick. There’s numerous other films that we’re actively working on right now. I’m always shooting a film, prepping a film, posting a film. I just finished a film with Alejandro Iñárritu too, who did The Revenant, that was an extraordinary experience and [Christopher McQuarrie] and I are always working on several different films.”
Ironically enough, Top Gun isn’t the first crossover that Macross has had in the past. Last year, the mech anime teamed up with the Transformers to create a brand new Cybertronian, spawning a new figure from the partnership. Even though Macross might have never hit Gundam levels, the beloved anime franchise is still making the rounds.
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