AsTop: Gun Maverick shows, sometimes reality has a huge effect on the shape certain works of fiction take. It’s pretty easy to let current events shape a narrative, after all, and doing so can make the whole experience feel that much more relevant. However, sometimes those influences are on a smaller scale. But in many cases, they’re no less poignant.
One of the latest to take this philosophy to the heart is the long-awaited sequelTop Gun: Maverick, which is already setting box office records.The Tom Cruise filmhas been blowing away audiences both new and returning, particularly giving the latter group a lot to be excited about. Many long-time fans already knew of a certain actor’s return. But given real-life circumstances, the manner of his appearance remained a mystery.
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Movie icon Val Kilmer, who appeared in the originalTop Gunas Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, was pretty much guaranteed to show up in the sequel. But after the actor’s throat cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment in 2014, he lost his ability to speak. To both honor Kilmer and make things more accurate to real life, the folks behindTop Gun: Maverickchanged his character around so that Iceman had also developed cancer and could only communicate via keyboard. But they added one more surprise to the movie, and it shares similarities withStar Wars, of all things.
Kilmer actually gets 1 speaking line in the movie. But given the actor’s own inability to talk, this was actually accomplished via a complex A.I. program. Similar to howThe Book of Boba Fettrecreated Mark Hamill’s voice,Top Gun: Maverickused a sophisticated A.I. comprised of numerous archival samples of Kilmer’s speaking voice to create a convincing replica. The end result was the pleasant surprise audiences got to witness in the film itself.
The program was built in 2021, thanks to a partnership between Kilmer himself and A.I. company Sonantic. According to Sonantic CTO John Flynn, they created over 40 different models before finally narrowing things down to the one heard in the movie. “I’m grateful to the entire team at Sonantic who masterfully restored my voice in a way I’ve never imagined possible,” Kilmer saidabout the A.I.“As human beings, the ability to communicate is the core of our existence and the side effects from throat cancer have made it difficult for others to understand me. The chance to tell my story, in a voice that feels authentic and familiar, is an incredibly special gift.”
While it’s not exactly a 1:1 replacement for a natural human voice, this sort of tech is a remarkable reminder that science has evolved in ways that can adequately compensate for issues humanity has had since the beginning of time. Being able to once again hear the voice of someone many thought they’d heard for the last time is certainly a wonderful goal to have hit. Here’s hoping things get even better from here.
Top Gun: Maverickis now playing in theaters.
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