Tom Cruise is set to return to the big screen as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell thirty-six years after the release of Top Gun in 1986 — the sequel will be directed by Joseph Kosinski, who worked with Cruise on the sci-fi action film Oblivion.

   Top Gun: Maverick will follow Maverick pushing the envelope as a test pilot dodging an advancement in rank that would have him grounded, where he will face the ghosts of his past, and an uncertain future. Maverick will also be charged with training a new squadron of fighter pilots.

   “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 said.

   The film will have its world premiere at CinemaCon on April 28, before its theatrical release in the United States on May 27 by Paramount Pictures. It was originally scheduled for release on July 12, 2019, but was postponed. The film was further delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and scheduling conflicts.

   In the film, Maverick will be called to be put in charge of training a group of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission under the orders of his fellow naval aviator friend and former rival, Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, played by Val Kilmer, who is the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Among them is Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, played by Miles Teller, the son of Maverick’s deceased best friend Nick “Goose” Bradshaw.

   In June 2017, Cruise revealed that the title would be Top Gun: Maverick, with Harold Faltermeyer returning as composer for the sequel.

   Aside from Cruise, the film stars Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Val Kilmer, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, Monica Barbaro, Charles Parnell, Danny Ramirez, Manny Jacinto, Bashir Salahuddin, Jay Ellis, Jake Picking, Raymond Lee and Jean Louisa Kelly.

   Cruise is also producing, alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, Christopher McQuarrie and David Ellison.

   No information has been released yet about whether Top Gun: Maverick will also be available to stream online, but it could potentially come to the Paramount+ streaming site later in 2022.

   Top Gun has been a fan-favorite movie since its debut in 1986, and fans are excited to see how Top Gun: Maverick will measure up to its predecessor.

   As the long-awaited release date rapidly approaches, fans are thrilled to finally watch Top Gun: Maverick in theaters.