Jerry Bruckheimer’s 7-step Formula For ‘top Gun: Maverick’ Is Worth Hollywood’s Attention

Jerry Bruckheimer has seen it all. He remembers the go-go days at Paramount Pictures in the ’80s with his coked-up partner Don Simpson, which yielded the original “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Flashdance” and “Top Gun.” Simpson had incredible story instincts — he invented the “high-concept” movie — and networked Hollywood parties while ex New York ad-man Bruckheimer kept his head screwed on straight and made sure the visually stylish movies were delivered on time and on budget. On his own in the ’90s and early 2000s, Bruckheimer was cock of the walk at the Disney studio, churning out high-testosterone, actioners from Bruce Willis vehicle “Armageddon” and Nic Cage in “Con Air” and “National Treasure” to Will Smith in “Enemy of the State” and the Johnny Depp “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, which proved that movies could string together VFX-heavy action sequences without worrying about the vagaries of plot.