The 80s gave us some exceptional and iconic films, such as Ghostbusters (1984), Predator (1988), and a whole abundance of other brilliant features. One movie that also stood a little taller than the others was, of course, Top Gun from 1986.
Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick / Picture Credit: Paramount Pictures
Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise, was a journey in love, loss, masculinity and pure Americanism. Cruise plays Maverick, a guy who thinks he knows what it truly takes to become one of the best flight pilots in the US.
After an accident while training that lost him his best friend, Maverick really needs to step up his game if he’s going to be the best of the best and now, he has more motivation than ever.
Star of the sequel titled Top Gun: Maverick, Jon Hamm, says that the sequel is well worth the wait, and speaks highly of the nostalgic and forward-thinking mechanics of Cruise’s newest adventure.
So, with the excitement still on a high note despite a three-decade wait, what can we expect from Maverick’s next mission?
The plot
After serving as one of the Navy’s top aviators for 30 years, Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell is finally where he belongs; up in the sky with other pilots, guarding the skies. Maverick is now a test pilot and continues to impress with his flight skills.
Maverick soon finds himself training a new group of potential Top Gun graduates, for a mission unlike any ever seen before and that no living pilot has ever witnessed. While preparing for training, he meets his late friend’s son. Nick Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), aka Goose, died during a training mission in Top Gun; now his son Bradley (Miles Teller) seems to be stepping into his father’s shoes.
As he faces his past and realises that the upcoming mission will require everyone involved to make their peace with the lives they have in case the mission fails, Maverick gears up to take on an assignment like no other and readies himself to face his deepest fears.
This film is painting itself to be something brilliant, and definitely does seem to be holding onto its 1986 prequel, while heading towards the future.
Something that made the first film so unique and iconic, was the lack of CGI or special effects, particularly during flight sequences. We are told to expect the very same standards for Top Gun: Maverick. Some scenes were so large that the filmmakers had to ask the Navy permission to shoot one of their most extreme stunts.
Cruise is known for his willingness and passion to do stunts on set, so much so that a Mission Impossible film stunt caused him to break his foot while jumping roof to roof. The actor really wanted the audience to see the other stars in the actual planes (F-18s), so we hope the cast had sick bags at the ready!
The cast
Cruise is of course still the main character, and it appears that his character’s want to be the best and his slight arrogance will not be amiss in the sequel; it seems Maverick will be the same guy we knew back in 1986, but hopefully with a character arc thrown in – after all, its been decades!
In the original movie we saw Cruise’s character Maverick, and Val Kilmer’s character Iceman, disagree more than once as they fought for the top spot; it seems their rivalry is still ongoing as Kilmer will be reprising his iconic role from 1986. Director Joseph Kosinski is remaining on the quiet side however, about how their relationship may (or may not have) changed over three decades.
Goose is a character we loved from the first film, and his unfortunate death was a shame as it means we will not be seeing him in the sequel. However, Goose’s son, Bradley, is one of the recruits Maverick will be training; let’s hope Miles Teller will nail the role as the iconic pilot’s son.
Other actors involved in the movie are Jennifer Connelly as the female lead; she will be starring as a single mother who runs a bar near the Navy base. She will be joined by Jon Hamm and Ed Harris; while we don’t know who Harris’ character will be, we do know that his role will be an admiral, and Maverick’s direct supervisor.
A new pilot names Fritz will also join the roster, played by A Good Place actor Manny Jacinto, along with other names such as: Raymond Lee, Monica Barbaro, Kara Wang, Jay Ellis, and many more.
Release Date
Many fans of the first film have been waiting well over 30 years for a sequel, and after numerous delays, we will finally be seeing Top Gun: Maverick on the big screen very soon.
This sequel was supposed to hit cinemas on July 12th, 2019, before a delay of an entire year occurred. Hopes were raised when the date was moved forward to June 24th, 2020, in the US and June 17th, 2020, in the UK.
However, another delay hit the movie and December 23rd, 2020 looked to be the new release date, but Paramount pushed the sequel back to July 2nd, 2021.
Now, the official date for the sequel’s release will be November 19th, 2021; hopefully this date is set in stone!
Check out the trailer for Top Gun: Maverick below!
Written by Melissa, who you can follow on Twitter @melissajournal
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