One of the most famous Hollywood legends involves Richard Gere becoming a superstar by taking two roles John Travolta notoriously passed on. One was American Gigolo; the other was An Officer and a Gentleman. The latter film made $130 million at the domestic box office (in 1982 dollars) and propelled Gere to superstardom. And now, Deadline is reporting that Top Gun: Maverick star Miles Teller is set to star in a remake of the film for Paramount Pictures.

While many may roll their eyes and dismiss An Officer and a Gentleman as schmaltz, they really shouldn’t. It’s a movie I actually hadn’t seen until a few years ago, as I assumed it would be a soapy melodrama. It’s actually a pretty tough and gritty romantic drama. I think people define it by the sentimental ending where Richard Gere, in his Navy Whites, sweeps Debra Winger off her feet as Joe Cocker’s “Up Where We Belong” plays. Still, the rest of the film is pretty hard-R, making me wonder if the new film will have the edge Taylor Hackford’s original had.

Teller is set to play the Gere role, where he played a loner who enlists in Navy officer training under a tough-as-nails drill sergeant (played by the late Louis Gossett Jr, who won an Oscar for the role), only to fall in love with a townie played by Winger. The movie climaxes in a pretty nifty martial arts battle between Gossett and Gere, where the former delivers one of the most brutal finishing moves of all time (the crotch kick to end all crotch kicks). 

It sounds like a smart role for Teller. The movie has the potential to be very much in the vein of Top Gun: Maverick, as he’ll once again be playing a naval aviator. At thirty-seven, he might be a little long in the tooth to be playing an officer in training, but the story may only use the bare bones of the original’s plot, so we’ll see.

In the meantime, Teller has a full dance card. He stars opposite Anya Taylor-Joy in Scott Derrickson’s The Gorge and co-stars in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic Michael, in which he plays MJ’s attorney.

Is An Officer and a Gentleman ripe for a remake, and is Teller the right guy to star? Let us know in the comments. 

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