Tom Cruise Takes To The Skies Once Again In New 'Top Gun: Maverick' Trailer

In 2016, Tom Cruise revealed his participation in "Top Gun: Maverick" and was later joined by Val Kilmer, who had already appeared in the previous film. Other cast members joined afterward, and filming began in 2018.

Following a slew of pandemic-related delays, Paramount Pictures has released the teaser for "Top Gun: Maverick," which is set to enter theaters later this year. Cruise will once again be in "Mission: Impossible" mode, directing all of his own jaw-dropping stunts and giving audiences another taste of his swashbuckling escapades in the new film, which serves as a follow-up to the Reagan-era action thriller.

Cruise reprised his role as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in the new trailer, which he initially performed in the 1986 original. In the parent picture, Cruise played a pilot student training with the United States Navy, but the new teaser reveals that his character has long ago shed his novice tag and is now a military veteran.

The clip revealed that Cruise's character responded to a summon from Tom "Iceman" Kazansky (Val Kilmer), a former classmate who is now a high-ranking Navy officer, to instruct the greenhorns at the academy.

"[Iceman] seems to think that you have something left to offer the Navy. What that is, I can't imagine," said another acquaintance to Maverick, expressing shock as to why the renowned air fighter was chosen for the position.

However, Maverick shrugged off the tutor tag saying, "I'm not a teacher. Just want to manage expectations," after which the rest of the teaser played a slew of action-packed sequences.

While it was a certainty that Cruise would start in the lead role after Paramount pictures greenlit the production of "Top Gun: Maverick," Kilmer's return was made possible by Cruise. In an interview with People in 2021, producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed that Cruise excessively campaigned to have his co-star come back in the new sequel.

"He said, 'We have to have Val, we have to have him back. We have to have him in the film,'" said the filmmaker. "And he was the driving force. We all wanted him, but Tom was really adamant that if he's going to make another Top Gun, Val had to be in it."

The producer also stated that the Top Gun reunion was quite emotional for former cast and crew members, specifically Cruise and Kilmer. "It was a really emotional experience for all of us. It was a long time getting there, but we did," he said.

Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, and Jon Hamm feature alongside Cruise and Kilmer in the film. Teller plays Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, a pilot trainee and the son of Maverick's late RIO and best pal, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw. In contrast, Hamm stars as Vice Admiral Cyclone, and Connelly plays Penny Benjamin, Maverick's new love concern and the child of a former admiral.

Before flying into the theaters, "Top Gun: Maverick" will first have a stopover at the Cannes Film Festival for an out-of-competition premiere. This year's festival runs May 17–28 and will also feature a bevy of top-notch films debuting for the first time.

This will be the first time a Cruise movie has played at Cannes in three decades. The last time he appeared on the festival's lineup was Ron Howard's "Far and Away" in 1992. The official selection screening for the film will also include a tribute to Cruise and his career.

"Top Gun: Maverick" will debut in the theaters on May 27.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giXco2jaZ_4