Miles Teller to Take on Richard Gere's Role in “An Officer and a Gentleman” Remake
The 'Top Gun: Maverick' star will take on the leading role in the remake of the 1982 classic
Lionel Hahn/Getty; Snap/Shutterstock Miles Teller, Richard Gere in 'An Officer and a Gentleman'
Miles Teller has found his next leading role!
The Top Gun: Maverick star, 37, is set to appear in the remake of 1982's An Officer and a Gentleman, taking on the starring role previously held by Richard Gere.
On Friday, June 14, multiple outlets including IndieWire, Variety and Deadline shared the casting news, noting that Teller will be front and center in the modern retelling of the story, which previously followed a young aviation officer working his way through the Naval Academy and finding some romance in the process.
The forthcoming Paramount remake will be produced by Temple Hill, with the latest draft of the script written by Dana Fox and an original written by Matt Johnson.
Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock Richard Gere in 'An Officer and a Gentleman'
Gere, Debra Winger and the late Louis Gossett Jr. all appeared in the 1982 film, which launched several careers and laid the groundwork for a Gossett performance that would earn him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
In the film, Gere, now 74, played Zack Mayo — a man who finds love in Winger's Paula Pokrifki. Per Deadline, Paramount Motion Picture Group co-presidents Daria Cercek and Mike Ireland had been eyeing Teller to revive the role after the box office success of Top Gun: Maverick.
Back in March, Gere paid tribute to his late co-star Gossett, who died at the age of 87 this year. In An Officer and a Gentleman, Gossett portrayed Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley, and later became the first Black performer to earn the Supporting Actor Oscar.
At the time, Gere shared in a statement with PEOPLE that the fellow actor was "a sweetheart” who “took his job very seriously” and “did his research.” Gere also described Gossett as “a tough guy with a heart of gold,” adding, “We were all so proud of him when he won his Oscar.”
“He stayed in character the whole time,” Gere recalled. “I don't think we ever saw him socially. He was the drill sergeant 24 hours a day, and it showed clearly in his performance. He drove every scene he was in.”
As for Teller, the Whiplash star is coming off of recent roles in Maverick, Spiderhead, and has several other upcoming projects — such as The Gorge, which he stars in alongside Anya Taylor-Joy.
Teller will notably be playing Michael Jackson's former manager and the current co-executor of the star’s estate, John Branca, in the forthcoming film Michael.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Speaking to Variety at the Vanity Fair Oscars party this year, Teller shared that he felt Jackson was "one of the greatest to ever do it, if not the greatest" and said he had the opportunity to "hang out" with the man he's portraying, and also met director Antoine Fuqua and producer Graham King.
"You only get so many opportunities in this business to make films,” he said. “I'm really excited to be a part of it. I think it's going to blow people away.”
Read the original article on People.