Last Updated: March 7, 2021
In about half a year, the long-awaited Top Gun: Maverick, will make its way into theaters. After decades of wondering what happened next to Maverick, a sequel was officially confirmed in 2015.
First released in 1986, Top Gun immediately became a hit and launched more than a few careers. The film starred Tom Cruise as Maverick, a cocky but talented Navy fighter pilot recruit who has to prove himself, no matter how talented he is, to give his superiors enough confidence to put him in the air. ed by his close friend, Goose (Anthony Edwards), and fellow confident, talented recruit Iceman (Val Kilmer), Maverick's time spent training is a serious wake-up call about the exhilaration and danger of being a Navy pilot.
Top Gun: Maverick, which officially began filming early in summer 2018, will no doubt recreate the thrills of the first film while introducing a new class of recruits to train up in the modern era. As fans prepare for the next Top Gun installment, there's plenty of who's, what's, why's, how's, and more to chew on until the sequel hits theaters. Here's everything we know about Top Gun: Maverick.
Click here to watch Top Gun Maverick: Everything We Know So Far on YouTube.
Top Gun 2 Release Date
Top Gun: Maverick will now speed into theaters on July 2, 2021, thanks to the ongoing pandemic, after previously being dated for original release date of July 19, 2019. The reported reason for the delay was that extra time was being added onto the schedule in order to craft perfectly choreographed aerial stunts and sequences. While delaying the release a whole year just to ensure the actual fighter pilot material is properly shot isn't entirely suspect, it's certainly noteworthy. Thanks to the launch of Paramount+, a new streaming service from ViacomCBS Digital, Top Gun: Maverick will be debuting on the service 45 days after its theatrical release on July 2.
Top Gun 2's Returning Cast Includes Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer
The best news should be delivered first: some of fans' Top Gun favorites will be back as part of Top Gun: Maverick's cast. The most obvious of the returning cast is Tom Cruise, who will reprise his star-making role as Navy pilot Maverick. In May 2018, Cruise tweeted out the Val Kilmer was confirmed to reprise his role as Iceman. Despite the role of Goose's son being cast, Meg Ryan, who played Goose's wife Carole, won't return for Top Gun: Maverick.
Top Gun 2 New Cast Includes Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly and Glen Powell
Maverick has added a metric ton of new talent to its lineup. Among the newcomers is Ed Harris and Bad Times at the El Royale co-stars Jon Hamm and Lewis Pullman.
Also in the Top Gun: Maverick cast are Charles Parnell, Jay Ellis, Bashir Salahuddin, Danny Ramirez, Monica Barbaro, Kara Wang (Good Trouble), Jack Schumacher (Empire), Greg Tarzan Davis (Chicago P.D.), Jake Picking (Blockers), Raymond Lee (Mozart in the Jungle), Jean Louisa Kelly (Ant-Man), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place) and Lyliana Wray (Strange Angel).
Top Gun 2 Story Details
Top Gun: Maverick's story sees Cruise's titular character now holding the rank of Captain, and being assigned to train a new group of young fighter pilots for a mission so dangerous it could cost them their lives. Complicating this task is Teller's presence in the group as Goose's son Rooster, who it would appear holds Maverick responsible for his father's death in the first Top Gun movie.
Top Gun 2's Director Is Joseph Kosinski
Top Gun's director, Tony Scott (younger brother of director Ridley Scott), was a go-to for decades when it came to expertly-crafted, action-centered films. Top Gun was one of Scott's biggest films in an already gigantic career, which included directing credits on Beverly Hills Cop II, Days of Thunder, and Enemy of the State. Unfortunately, Scott died in 2012, leaving behind some pretty big shoes to fill. In May 2017, while Top Gun 2 was still in its early gestation, Tron: Legacy director Oblivion and went on to direct Teller in 2017's Only the Brave.
Top Gun 2 Trailers
Top Gun: Maverick has so far released two full-length trailers, the first shedding light on Maverick's new mission as a teacher, and the second focusing on his personal struggles. It appears Maverick has deliberately fought any promotion that would leave to him being stuck on the ground instead of flying through the sky.
