Let’s face it. The comedown we’ve been experiencing after Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick hasn’t been easy. In terms of cinematic spectacle, nothing in the 2022 new release slate has even come close to being comparable, and there are only so many times you can hit up the local HOYTS for a repeat viewing; although one bloke in Singapore has given it a red-hot go 45 times over. Thankfully, the methadone to Top Gun‘s heroin will soon be upon us with J.D. Dilliard’s Devotion.
Based on the book of the same name by Adam Makos, the upcoming historic action/drama retells the story of how real-life elite fighter pilots Jesse Brown (portrayed by Jonathan Majors) and Tom Hudner (portrayed by Glen Powell) became the US Navy’s most celebrated wingmen during the Korean War. Or “America’s forgotten war,” as the marketing has described it.
Similar to other films in this space a la Top Gun, Pearl Harbour, and Saving Private Ryan… Devotion is also a story of comradery, brotherhood, as well as a bond that endures beyond several lifetimes. And similar to the Tom Cruise-led blockbuster we can’t seem to stop referencing in this article, its production made use of legitimate 80-year-old planes which director J.D. Dilliard apparently described as “flying museums.”
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“Really, these movies could not be more different,” Glen Powell said of Devotion and Top Gun: Maverick, despite a) everything we’ve just outlined, and b) the fact he himself starred in the latter as hot-shot pilot Hangman.
“But at the same time, I think they pair quite wonderfully together in terms of the legacy of naval aviation.”
Makos’ book has been adapted for screens by Jake Crane and Jonathan Stewart. Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell are joined by Christina Jackson as Daisy Brown, Thomas Sadoski as Dick Cevoli, Serinda Swan as Elizabeth Taylor, Joe Jonas (yep) as Marty Goode, and plenty more. The all-important matter of cinematography, on the other hand, has been accomplished by Erik Messerschmidt (Mank, Raised By Wolves, Mindhunter).
Devotion is scheduled to premiere this September at the Toronto International Film Festival before its theatrical release on November 23rd of 2022 – check out the full-length trailer above.
