Fasten your seatbelts, Maverick is back. After three and half decades, Tom Cruise is back in the pilot’s seat. Cruise reprises his role as Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick, coming out this May.
While sequels and soft reboots of classic movies have not been successful in the past few years (see: “Independence Day,” “Zoolander,” “Dumb & Dumber”), Top Gun: Maverick aims to shake that stigma. Critics and fans of the original 1986 action drama have high hopes considering its all-star crew. Joseph Kosinski (TRON: Legacy) will be directing the movie alongside screenplay writers Ehren Kruger (“The Ring,” “Dumbo”) and Eric Warren Singer (“American Hustle”). It also wouldn’t be a Tom Cruise movie if Christopher McQuarrie wasn’t involved. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer will return as a producer.
This go-around focuses on Cruise’s Maverick teaching a new batch of pilots. They will embark on a combat mission that nearly guarantees no return. The new crop of pilots includes Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, and Monica Barbaro. The sequel will also feature veteran actors Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, and Jay Ellis as newcomers.
Val Kilmer joins Cruise as the only actor to reprise their roles in the first film. In an interview with People Magazine, Jerry Bruckheimer said that Tom Cruise was adamant about having Kilmer return as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky. The movie is using an AI recreation of his voice as Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014.
The story starts out with the revelation that Maverick has been avoiding advancement for the last thirty years to keep flying. He is brought in by Vice Admiral “Cyclone” (Hamm), much to Cyclone’s contempt. It turns out that Kilmer’s Iceman (now an Admiral) has recommended Maverick to return to Top Gun as a flight instructor.
There is an especially curious dynamic between Cruise and Teller, as Teller portrays Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of Nick “Goose” Bradshaw from the first film. It seems like Teller’s character resents Maverick for the death of his father during the first film. It is an element of the story that focuses on Maverick coming to terms with his past, learning from it, and moving forward so he can concentrate on teaching.
With all Tom Cruise films, you can expect him to do his own stunts for the sake of authenticity. In a behind-the-scenes look at the film, Cruise explains that the sequel wouldn’t have been made without the right technology being developed. That includes specially made cameras that fit into the cockpit and a full flight training program developed by Cruise. The cast also went through a three-month training program provided by the Navy.
With so much to work put into the film, there’s a lot to look forward to. After a three-year delay due to the pandemic and flight complications, the long-awaited sequel is right around the corner. Top Gun: Maverick will be soaring into theatres on May 27.
