Do you feel the need...the need for more Top Gun? You might have to wait a bit longer than expected. Paramount recently announced that Top Gun: Maverick will be delayed again from Thanksgiving 2021 to May 27, 2022. We know what you're thinking—that's almost 3 years after the film was announced. Unfortunately, no one saw a global pandemic on the horizon.
Paramount made this decision in light of recent cases and concerns about the Delta variant. Rather than releasing a fan-favorite franchise during a time when box office numbers are lower than usual, Paramount decided to push the release date in hopes that things will improve by spring 2022.
Top Gun: Maverick isn't the only anticipated film that's been booted to a later date. Other Paramount movies that've moved release dates include Mission: Impossible 7 and Clifford the Big Red Dog.
Even though we'll have to wait a little longer, we're so excited to see some of our favorite characters back in action. Here's everything we know about Top Gun: Maverick.
Tom Cruise will return as Maverick.
Of course, Top Gun just wouldn't be the same without Tom Cruise, or Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. The sequel bears the main character's name, after all. The actor shared a behind the scenes look at filming and fans got very excited about the sneak peek.
The latest trailer looks super intense.
Maverick is back in the cockpit in the first trailer for the Top Gun sequel and it looks like his flying skills have only improved with age. The new clip doesn't give away many specifics about the plot, but it does reveal that the infamous fighter pilot is now a teacher for a new generation of recruits. It also gives quick glimpses at a new romance and seems to imply that Maverick has not moved on from the death of his best friend, Goose.
See for yourself how Mav is doing after more than 30 years:
The Top Gun sequel's release date is May 27, 2022.
You and your favorite wingman will have to wait a bit longer for the flick to fly into theaters, as the release is set for summer 2022. Written by Peter Craig, Justin Marks, and Eric Warren Singer, Top Gun: Maverick is being directed by Joseph Kosinski (Only the Brave, Tron: Legacy, Oblivion).
Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, and Lewis Pullman just joined the cast.
There will be a few new faces in Top Gun 2—though they may be familiar to you. Jon Hamm (Mad Men) and Ed Harris (Apollo 13, The Truman Show) are just two big names who have signed on for the project, according to Deadline.
Lewis Pullman will also appear in the movie; the 25-year-old has been in The Strangers: Prey at Night and Battle of the Sexes, and he happens to be actor Bill Pullman's son. A group of actors will round out the cast at The Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School, reports the publication: Jay Ellis (Insecure), Bashir Salahuddin (GLOW), Charles Parnell (A Million Little Pieces), Monica Barbaro (The Good Cop), and Danny Ramirez (Assassination Nation).
Jennifer Connelly will be the new leading lady.
Kelly McGillis will reportedly not reprise her role as Charlie (we guess they lost that loving feeling). In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, she explained that she was not asked to be a part of the upcoming sequel.
"If and when [I was asked], I would have to assess where I am, what I'm doing, what's going on," Kelly said about whether not she would join the film. "I can't project what I would or wouldn't do in the future. I have no idea because I don't know where I'll be."
The actress also admitted she hasn't remained close with her former co-stars.
"Movies are odd things," she said. "I don't really keep in touch with anybody."
In Kelly's place, Jennifer Connelly (Labyrinth, Requiem For a Dream, A Beautiful Mind) has been confirmed as the new female lead.
"She's a great actress obviously," Cruise told Entertainment Tonight. "I think when you see the film you'll see why she's perfect for it."
That Hashtag Show had previously reported that Maverick's new love interest would be named Penny Benjamin, a 40- to 55-year-old sister to Naval Admiral Robby Benjamin, who apparently does not like Maverick (drama!). The new leading lady is also apparently mom to tween Miriam, and Maverick is supposedly smitten with both mother and child (Jerry Maguire vibes, anyone?).
Top Gun 2 will feature Goose's grown-up son...
While Goose (Anthony Edwards) obviously can't come back, the late character's son with Carole (Meg Ryan) will be a big part of the plot. You might remember Wrigley, or Bradley, as he was called in the first film, as the little boy sitting on top of the piano while his dad plays "Great Balls of Fire" in this scene:
Actor Miles Teller (Whiplash, Divergent, War Dogs, and Fantastic Four) has been cast in the role.
"I feel the need..." he tweeted to confirm the news.
...but that doesn't mean he'll be Maverick's new wingman.
Apparently, Maverick is now a flight instructor, and his relationship with his student Wrigley isn't a good one. It seems Wrigley may be holding a grudge against Maverick for the death of his dad.
This conflict falls perfectly in line with what Tom Cruise has teased about the project so far. "It's gonna be a competition film, like the first one," Cruise told Access Hollywood last year. "And it's gonna be in the same vein, the same tone as the first one. But a progression for Maverick."
Iceman is back!
Val Kilmer, who recently recovered from a battle with throat cancer, will re-enter the "Danger Zone" for Top Gun: Maverick, as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky.
Some fan theories have already surfaced.
A clever commenter on the That Hashtag Show article may have caught onto something huge: Penny Benjamin is actually a name we heard mentioned in the first film, specifically when Commander Tom Jordan, known as "Stinger," was berating Maverick for his recklessness:
"Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash," Stinger says in the scene. "You've been busted, you lost your qualifications as section leader three times, put in hack twice by me, with a history of high speed passes over five air control towers, and one admiral's daughter!" Goose asks, "Penny Benjamin?" and Maverick shrugs.
"I wonder if this is the same person and her child in the film [as] Maverick's from the hook-up," the commenter pondered. We love this theory, but the math doesn't quite add up: By the time the second installment comes out, 33 years will have passed since the 1986 film, meaning any daughter Penny and Maverick might have had would be much older than 10—unless we're to believe the two got together again in the last decade. Knowing Maverick, that's entirely possible. Or maybe we're not supposed to read too much into the timeline. After all, if we're going by accuracy of the first film, Wrigley's age wouldn't be right either.
Either way, the fact that the writers are reviving a character referenced in the first is very interesting. We can't wait to see what kind of shenanigans Maverick's ego gets him into this time around!
