Comic-Con 2019: 'Top Gun: Maverick' trailer shows a 'high-flying' Tom Cruise back in the cockpit
Back when 'Top Gun' came out in 1986, Tom Cruise was yet to become the huge star he is now. The movie, one of the biggest hits of the ’80s, earned $356 million against a production budget of only $15 million. Fans have been waiting for a sequel for literally decades and soon those hopes will be fulfilled.
We received our first look at the upcoming sequel, titled ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, in a trailer that was unveiled by Cruise at SDCC 2019. While it doesn’t reveal a lot about the plot, the trailer does give some hints of the action to come and shows that the movie is going to stay true to the look and feel of the classic original.
Here are five things we learned from the trailer:
Maverick has had quite a career since ‘Top Gun’
The trailer starts by introducing us to all that Maverick has achieved since his time as a rookie in the first movie. The fighter pilot has served for over three decades, winning medals and recognition. Despite this, he has been regularly passed over for promotions and is stuck at the rank of Captain, something he refers to as “one of life’s mysteries.”
Romance is in the air for Maverick
Maverick has always been a hit with the ladies, which is understandable considering he's a hotshot pilot with insane skills. From the looks of things, that hasn't changed. The trailer shows Jessica Connelly in an unnamed role in two quick scenes that suggest that she might be close to the hero. Of course, we don't have confirmation yet but it's not that hard to believe that her character might have a romantic relationship with Maverick.
Despite his age, Maverick hasn’t changed all that much
He might have gotten older and at least a little bit more mature but we have plenty of evidence in the trailer that Maverick is still the same high-flying adrenaline junkie he always was. We see him take to the air, performing death-defying acrobatics, and playing shirtless volleyball. If that wasn’t enough, seeing him don his iconic bomber jacket and sunglasses to take his motorcycle out is proof enough that this is still the Maverick we know and love.
The Top Gun school has plenty of new blood
Now that Maverick is an instructor, he obviously needs a class of plucky trainees to impart his wisdom to. We catch some glimpses of the new blood, including a young pilot going by the handle of “Phoenix” and a volleyball-playing Glen Powell.
Maverick’s time in the air is almost up
Aerial combat has changed since the ’80s. New technology makes skilled fighter pilots like Maverick almost obsolete and it’s only a matter of time before he is forced into retirement. But the determined pilot does not intend to let that get him down. When he is told that people like him are headed towards extinction, he replies “Maybe so, sir. But not today.”
'Top Gun: Maverick' will make its way to theaters in 2020.