The Shared DNA Between Writer/Director Jean de Meuron’s “Edge of Space” and “Top Gun: Maverick”
A visually lavish and emotionally captivating short film about the early days of manned spaceflight exploration, writer/director/producer Jean de Meuron’s directorial debut, Edge of Space, is set in 1961. The 18-minute film follows U.S. Air Force test pilot Glen Ford (played by the Sniper film series’ Chad Michael Collins), who risks it all for a suborbital test flight in the X-15 hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft. The film provides a refreshing glimpse into the decade leading to the Apollo missions, culminating with the Moon landing in 1969. “When working on Roland Emmerich’s Moonfall, where NASA was an official partner, I recognized that there is no future without the past. So, I wanted to explore how it all started,” de Meuron recalls. It all began while he was an executive at Emmerich’s production company, Centropolis Entertainment.
Recently hosting a screening of the film at CAA followed by a conversation with de Meuron, Emmerich (Stargate, Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow) had this to say about the ambitious short: “Edge of Space is a thrilling, visceral dive into the 1960s space exploration era, capturing the spirit and intensity of that crucial time in history in a way that truly resonates,” the legendary director shares. “Having worked with NASA myself on Moonfall, I was really impressed by how beautifully and suspensefully the film portrayed the drive, sacrifices, and heroism of the first space pioneers. The filmmaking is remarkable — not just in its amazing technical precision, epic scale, and ambitious scope, but also in the cinematic storytelling.”
A breath of fresh air with its stirring optimism, the film shares a surprising connection with Tom Cruise’s 2022 cinematic love letter to aviation. Top Gun: Maverick’s aerial coordinator, Kevin LaRosa II, plays a significant part in Edge of Space. Besides managing the drone crew for the aerial sequences, he also plays another test pilot in the film, Tom Mitchell (an homage to Cruise’s Pete Mitchell in the Top Gun milieu). Impressed with de Meuron’s ambitious creative vision to explore the nascent space race era, LaRosa was excited to participate in the project. “Jean reached out to me shortly after the release of Top Gun: Maverick. As an aviation fanatic, I wanted to be a part of it. He then surprised me by asking me to be a part of the cast! He believed that as a pilot, I would bring a level of authenticity to the role,” he reveals.
La Rosa is also thrilled to be involved behind the camera. “I organized the drone crew to execute Jean’s vision. He directed the shots and drone movements with precision, knowing exactly what he needed for the VFX plates. The epic aerial sequences are truly cinematic and stirring, providing an immersive sense of flying with the pilot in the cockpit,” he says. When he saw the final cut, he was thrilled with the results. “Watching the final film in the theater was a moving, inspiring, and thrilling experience. I was deeply impressed by what Jean, his producers, and the entire team accomplished. I’m incredibly proud to be a part of this uplifting story.”
An official selection at the OSCAR and BAFTA qualifying L.A. Shorts International Film Festival (Jury Special Mention) and the HollyShorts Film Festival (Nominee), Edge of Space is eligible for the Academy’s consideration in the Best Live Action Short Film category. De Meuron recently spoke with The Credits about his three-year journey to bring the project to the big screen.
Edge of Space is your directorial debut. What drives your passion for space exploration and military aviation?
I’ve always been fascinated with space exploration, specifically the pioneer spirit pertaining to scientific innovation and overcoming the impossible against all odds. It’s extraordinary that in 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright were able to fly an airplane that they built for 12 seconds above the sand dunes in North Carolina. We went to space six decades later and landed on the Moon in 1969. Our perseverance as a species, when we’re collectively united by one shared goal and common purpose, is inspiring to me and hopefully uplifting for the audience as well.
Most cinematic efforts have focused primarily on the Apollo missions, which makes your choice to highlight the USAF’s first suborbital test flight on the X-15 very refreshing. What made you decide to focus on the era before the Moon landing for your first project?
We’re currently experiencing a renaissance of space exploration. When Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth in 1961, it ushered in the era of the US-Soviet space race. With the Artemis Program, NASA aims to return a new generation of astronauts to the Moon. So, it’s an interesting time to trace the origins and pay homage to the visionaries who risked it all. To quote President John F. Kennedy’s speech to a joint session of Congress in 1961, Edge of Space is dedicated to those who took “a clearly leading role in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our future on earth.”
Is Glen’s character based on a composite of real-life pilots from the period between 1959 and 1968, when the X-15 was deployed?
The film is inspired by historical events. Tom Wolfe’s book “The Right Stuff” was a major influence. It details the heroic and brave exploits of the test pilots-turned-astronauts with experimental rocket-powered, high-speed aircraft. Glen is based on the likes of Chuck Yeager, who, in 1947, became the first pilot to exceed the speed of sound in level flight, and Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon.
What kind of assistance did you get from NASA on this project?
NASA provided us with archival footage that I studied with my team as part of our in-depth research. We really wanted to make the film as historically accurate and authentic as possible.
The aerial shots of the drop-launch from the B-52 were visually stunning, delivering studio-feature-level production value. Were they done with models or VFX?
They were all done in VFX. I storyboarded the film and shot specific plates with my visual effects team from VFX Los Angeles (Izzy Traub, Charles H. Joslain, and Joseph Sperber), which served as the foundation of our shots. Then, we modeled and textured the 3D assets, which we then compiled into the shot. Technically speaking, VFX compositing is the technique we used to combine several visual layers/elements into a single frame. We were immensely meticulous because we wanted everything to look as photoreal as possible.
Do you plan to make a feature-length version of Edge of Space? Military aviation-centric films have really seen a return in popularity ever since Top Gun: Maverick blew up the scene in 2022.
I love Top Gun: Maverick. It’s an excellent film, viscerally cinematic and immersive—it blew me away. I’m very proud that Kevin is part of our cast and supported the film with his drone crew for the flight sequences. There is certainly potential to expand the narrative as the dramatic material lends itself to a feature-length version.
What was it like to work with LaRosa on the flight sequences?
Kevin organized the drone crew via his company, XBrand. He flawlessly executed my vision as I directed the shots and drone movements when we filmed in the desert. He knew exactly what I needed for the VFX plates and convinced his crew to be part of this ambitious undertaking. We had access to historical NASA archival footage from the ‘60s, which served as my reference and inspiration in terms of camera angles, framing, and composition. As far as the aerial sequences, I designed, storyboarded, and executed them all. When I had questions, Kevin provided invaluable guidance with his expertise. With his passion for aviation, I always saw him as part of the cast. When I first saw him in the Mercury spacesuit during the costume fitting, I had an overwhelming sense of pride and connection to the astronauts who pioneered the quest of exploration into the unknown. So, I knew then that I had made the right choice. I think my instincts paid off.
For AMPAS Members, Edge of Space is available to watch in the Academy Screening Room.
