Glen Powell and “Top Gun: Maverick” pilots give exclusive look at “Blue Angels” IMAX doc

The upcoming doc from Amazon MGM Studios takes audiences inside the elite Flight Demonstration Squadron for the first time.

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Glen Powell is once again taking us to the skies, but this time, he’s letting the real pilots take the controls.

The Devotion and Top Gun: Maverick star joins forces with J.J. Abrams to produce the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios documentary The Blue Angels. For the very first time, the documentary will bring audiences inside the cockpit of the Navy’s elite Flight Demonstration Squadron, which has been captivating crowds with jaw-dropping stunts for 75 years.

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“I'm used to doing films that have special effects, and you plan these moves, and it's cool, but it's not real,” Abrams says in an exclusive video offering a sneak peek at the footage. “What these pilots do, it's real. There are no second chances. It is truly a life-and-death demonstration.”

“What makes this documentary different than seeing it from the ground is you're not here; you're in it,” adds Powell.

Shot with IMAX cameras rigged to a helicopter, the film marks the first time a civilian aircraft has been permitted to fly inside the performance airspace called “the box.” During some of the hair-raising maneuvers, the F-18 planes fly within just 12 inches of each other. “You can't even believe how close they are coming together,” says the doc’s director of photography, Jessica Young. “It's an incredible thing to see, and especially in this IMAX format,” adds Abrams.

Veteran aerial director of photography Michael FitzMaurice and aerial coordinator and helicopter camera pilot Kevin LaRosa II were brought aboard to capture the spectacle in ways audiences have never seen before. “We had just come off of Top Gun: Maverick and became known for dynamic high-action jet aerial work,” says LaRosa.

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“We came up with this idea: Wouldn't it be really cool to see these jets at 1,000 frames a second to let people live in that little moment…,” explains FitzMaurice, as LaRosa finishes his thought, “...That usually is a flash and let them just experience the awe and power of these machines."

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“A lot of consideration went into how to shoot the Blue Angels in ways you’ve never seen before,” confirms Abrams. “It's the closest I think any of us will come to being in the cockpit with these pilots. It's a remarkable thing to see.”

But the documentary doesn’t always stay in the clouds. The Blue Angels also takes us inside the pilot’s briefing room and highlights all the preparation and training that goes into becoming selected for the coveted group. “One of the things I love about the movie is how it humanizes the Blue Angels in a way you might not fully get when you watch them fly,” Abrams notes. “To see what they do in the cockpit is exhilarating, but it’s also exhilarating to see how, when they do make a mistake, they work together to fix it. Maybe the most impactful thing about the Blue Angels for me is their dedication to each other — the trust, the respect, and the teamwork. They’re just an inspiring group of people.”

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Among the pilots highlighted in the doc is Lieutenant Amanda Lee, the first woman pilot in Blue Angels history. “We see this as a film the whole family can watch together, and I am thrilled that young girls in the audience won’t just think, ‘Being a pilot is something boys do,’” says producer Hannah Minghella. “They are going to see Amanda and think, ‘This is something I could do, too.’”

Directed by Paul Crowder, The Blue Angels hits theaters exclusively in IMAX on May 17 before streaming globally on Prime Video beginning May 23.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.