Feeling the need for speed: Tom Cruise ends suspense around Top Gun 2
Tom Cruise is all set to reprise Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in the much-awaited sequel of the 1986 hit Top Gun. The movie is going to release in July next year, almost 33 years after the original directed by late Tony Scott.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story is set in the current time and deals with modern warfare. The Maverick follows fighter pilots as they attack using drone technology which makes the old style of flying obsolete. "The Navy is very different now than it was in 1986. Back then, they hadn't been in any war for 15 or 20 years at that point," Cruise said, according to Digital Spy.
The actor tweeted a picture captioned Day 1 suggesting that it was the first day of shooting the film. He also tagged producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Skydance Media.
"Friends said it's official - #TOPGUN2 was announced today," he wrote on Instagram. "I'm ready Tom — still got my Top Gun plaque. Still got the moves! Still got it!"
He admitted on The Graham Norton Show that the production is in its nascent stage and that he is putting together a sequel with Jerry Bruckheimer. Joseph Kosinski, who directed Oblivion, would be directing the sequel to the 1986 hit which brought worldwide fame to Tom Cruise.
According to Independent, the 55-year-old had previously spoken about the sequel. In 2017, he told Australian program Sunrise that it was “definitely happening” and the production of the movie would begin this year.
The news comes after Tom Cruise was approached for Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for a secondary lead role. The actor couldn't be part of the film as it clashed with the filming of Top Gun this summer. The role went to Brad Pitt in the end.
According to Variety, “Aviators are back, the need for speed. We’re going to have big, fast machines. It’s going to be a competition film, like the first one … but a progression for Maverick,” Cruise teased.
Harold Faltermeyer would also return for the sequel, which would in a way resemble the original movie.
Cruise has wanted to make a sequel of the 1986 classic for a considerable period of time. "I'm very excited. I am really excited," Tom shared with Access Hollywood. "It's a great challenge."
However, the project gained momentum in the recent years when Justin Marks, writer of Jungle Book (2016), was approached to write the latest draft.
Though other plot details are vague, Val Kilmer said that he was approached to reprise the role of Iceman alongside Cruise’s Maverick. Val Kilmer recently announced on social media that he’s ready to spread his wings and fly. The movie is expected to release on July 12, 2019.