"Tom Cruise better have him in the next one" -Fans react to Lewis Hamilton's remorse over missing out on Hollywood debut with actor worth $600,000,000

Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton has expressed his remorse over missing out on the opportunity to feature in Hollywood megastar Tom Cruise-starrer Top Gun: Maverick.

Top Gun, a highly acclaimed American action drama released in 1986, finally got a sequel decades later when Top Gun: Maverick hit the theatres in 2022. Tom Cruise, star of the first film, reprised his role as "Pete Mitchell," alongside Val Kilmer and other actors.

Notably, in what could have been a potential crossover between the world of motorsports and Hollywood, Mercedes legend and seven-time F1 Drivers' Champion Lewis Hamilton was offered the opportunity to act as one of the pilots in the movie. Cruise's friendship with Hamilton, which developed on the sets of 2014 movie "Edge Of Tomorrow," played a significant role in this.

However, Lewis Hamilton, at the time, was involved in a neck-to-neck championship battle with rival Max Verstappen. The duel, which culminated in a nail-biting 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, was clearly the priority for the Mercedes driver, who was chasing his eighth World Championship.

While Hamilton faltered on the controversial night at Yas Marina Circuit, the Brit regrets missing out on the mega opportunity to collaborate with actor Tom Cruise who is worth $600,000,000 (according to Celebrity Net Worth). In a recent interview with GQ Magazine, he revealed:

"Firstly, I hadn’t even had, like, an acting lesson. And I don’t want to be the one that lets this movie down. And then secondly, I just really didn’t have the time to dedicate to it. I remember having to tell Joe and Tom—and it broke my heart. And then I regretted it, naturally, when they show me the movie and it’s: It could’ve been me!"

Fans took to social media platforms to sympathize with Lewis Hamilton's recent words. One user wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"A damn shame but understandable"

A second user added:

"Yes, top gun. Tom cruise better have him in the next one"

Meanwhile, another fan chimed in:

"...Maybe we will get to see him in Top Gun 3"

Below are some more fan reactions to Lewis Hamilton's remorse over missing out on being featured in Top Gun: Maverick:

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Lewis Hamilton previews his 2024 year, on and off the racetrack

Despite being one of the most accomplished sportspersons of all time, Hamilton claims that the start of 2024 was the "most" exciting time of his life.

"I’ve never started a year excited for the year to follow," he said in the afore-mentioned interview.

This was the same period when Lewis Hamilton announced his decision to part ways with Mercedes and bring an end to a legendary partnership that saw tremendous success in F1. Competing in his final season as a Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton will don the red of Scuderia Ferrari in 2025.

Speaking of what is to come in the remainder of the year and the years ahead, on and off the racetrack, Hamilton added:

"People ask me all the time: Where do you see yourself in five years? And I’ve never been able to look that far ahead. But now I’m in a place where I can map out a little further ahead. There’s some really cool things that will be happening in the next two years. Some really fun projects with fashion that will come to light at the end of the year, obviously the movie, and hopefully a documentary to follow."

After the conclusion of three races in the ongoing season, Lewis Hamilton finds himself at P10 in the drivers' standings. His most recent outing in Melbourne ended with a disappointing DNF.