Age: 83
male
David Paul Cronenberg (born 15 March 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is a principal originator of the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and the intertwining of the psychological, physical, and technological. Cronenberg is best known for exploring these themes through sci-fi horror films such as Shivers (1975), Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983), and The Fly (1986). However, he has also directed dramas, psychological thrillers, and gangster films. Cronenberg's films have polarized critics and audiences; he has earned critical acclaim and sparked controversy for his depictions of gore and violence. The Village Voice called him "the most audacious and challenging narrative director in the English-speaking world". His films have won numerous awards, including the Special Jury Prize for Crash at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, a unique award that is distinct from the Jury Prize as it is not given annually but only at the request of the official jury, who in this case gave the award "for originality, for daring, and for audacity". From the 2000s to the 2020s, Cronenberg collaborated on several films with Viggo Mortensen, including A History of Violence (2005), Eastern Promises (2007), A Dangerous Method (2011) and Crimes of the Future (2022). Seven of his films were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or, the most recent being The Shrouds (2024), which was screened at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Description above from the Wikipedia article David Cronenberg, licensed under CC-BY-SA, is a full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
In a version directed by Cronenberg, Top Gun could have explored darker, more psychological themes instead of operating on action-adventure. It could have gone deeper into the nature of war and how it affects the soldiers, as well as the relationship between the characters. The movie may have focused more on the character Maverick, and his internal struggle to be the best pilot and face his fear and vulnerability. It could also have explored the traumas of the characters who have experienced war and death on the battlefield.
