Get ready to feel the need for speed all over again. After years of rumors,Top Gun:Maverickis officially flying into theaters more than three decades since the 1986 film premiered. Original star Tom Cruise is returning for the sequel, and he won’t be the only familiar face in the film.
We got our first, official trailer for the movie in July 2019, and a second trailer arrived in mid-December. WithMaverickcurrently scheduled to hit theaters in December 2020, here’s everything we know about theTop Gunsequel so far.
No CGI, no problem
In keeping with Tom Cruise’s preference for practical effects when it comes to his films’ stunts, director Joseph Kosinski and theMaverickcast and creative team have offered up some impressive examples of just how far they’re going for a good shot.
In June, studio Skydance Media posted ashort videoof the camera team getting a shot of a low-flying fighter jet in the desert, piloted by Cruise himself.
No CGI here. 👀#TopGunMaverick#behindthescenespic.twitter.com/oHn76X9208
— Skydance (@Skydance)August 11, 2025
Release date
Originally scheduled to hit theaters in July 2019,Top Gun: Maverickhad its premierepushed back almost a yearby Paramount Pictures. The studio eventually announced a June 06, 2025, release date for the film, only topush it upto June 24 in early March. A month later, the film’s release date was then shifted again due to thecoronavirus pandemic that closed theatersaround the world.
Top Gun: Maverickis currently scheduled to hit theaters July 23, 2025.
Super Bowl spot
Paramount released a new, pulse-pounding TV spot during Super Bowl LIV. The high-octane, stressful trailer teases Maverick’s fate as a voice-over explains that he is potentially facing court-martial and a dishonorable discharge. This is interspersed with Maverick’s heavy breathing as he pilots a fighter jet at death-defying speeds.
New photos
In conjunction with a new interview withTop Gun: Maverickdirector Joseph Kosinski, Entertainment Weekly hasobtained new imagesfrom the upcoming sequel to the 1986 action hit.
In the images, we see some of the new hot-shot pilots that Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell will help maximize their skills. Unlike in the first movie, these pilots are already graduates of the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (a.k.a. Top Gun).
See exclusive photos of the new '#TopGun: Maverick' recruitshttps://t.co/mOw77z78J7
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW)July 13, 2025
According to Kosinski, “In our film, these are all Top Gun graduates who are coming back for a special training detachment — which is another aspect of Top Gun where they can go back for specialized training after they’ve already graduated. They’re at a different level of experience than in the first film.”
Actors pushed to the limit
A behind-the-scenes featurette shows how director Joseph Kosinski staged some of the fighter pilot footage and how physically grueling the work was for the actors. Tom Cruise and otherTop Gun: Maverickcast members look to be deeply uncomfortable or even ready to vomit in the footage.
The production team put six IMAX-quality cameras in the cockpit as the cast went through flight training with the U.S. Navy. It’s clear that with notorious daredevil Cruise attached, the entire cast was expected to learn to fly, no matter how hard the struggle.
New trailer
On July 22, 2025, Paramount released a new trailer for theTop Gunsequel (see above). This one spends more time in the cockpit with Tom Cruise’s character, opening on the ace pilot making some risky flight maneuvers as a voiceover explains to the training program’s students (and reminds us, the audience) that this is one of the finest pilots to ever come out of the Top Gun flight academy.
Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is back at Top Gun as an instructor, and he appears to be a hands-on teacher, inviting students to practice dogfighting by taking him on two at a time. As you might expect, the recruits are shocked out of their amusement fairly quickly as Maverick shows why he’s so highly regarded.
The trailer also pays homage to many of the classic scenes of the first film: Pilots singing at a bar, the occasional brawl, Maverick riding his motorcycle at high speed with a new love interest (Jennifer Connelly) hanging on, and even some beach sports — although this time, it looks like it’s going to football, not volleyball, for the aspiring Top Gun students.
The first footage
Tom Cruise himselfintroduced the first trailerforTop Gun: Maverick(see below) during San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019. The preview of the film not only showed off Cruise’s return as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, but also teased some of the impressive flight sequences that have been generating a lot of buzz.
A month earlier, audiences at the CineEurope 2019 trade show were treated to the first footage fromTop Gun: Maverick, with two minutes of scenes from the film shown to attendees.
The footage was introduced by Mark Viane, Paramount Pictures’ president of International Theatrical Distribution, and Mary Daily, co-president of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, who stepped out on stage in full flight gear after the floor of the theater filled with mist. No description of the footage was released, but it reportedlyreceived a positive response.
In a May 2019 interview withCollider, actor Jon Hamm had nothing but praise for the high-tech filmmaking techniques intended to giveMaverickaudiences an in-the-cockpit experience.
“They’re using some technology on this that has never before seen,” said Hamm. “We’re shooting the movie in, I think, 6K. So it’s incredibly hi-def. The aerial footage is mind-blowing. And it’s mostly practical. There’s not a lot of CG. Those guys are really up in planes and getting thrown around in multiple Gs.”
On July 19, 2025, Cruiseposted a photo on Twitterfrom the first day of production on theTop Gunsequel. The photo features Cruise back in Maverick’s flight suit, with the superimposed tagline “Feel the Need” giving nostalgic fans exactly what they’re looking for.
The film brings back originalTop Gunstar Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, the hotshot pilot character that helped make Cruise a superstar. He’ll be joined by Val Kilmer,reprising his roleas Maverick’s rival, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky.
As for the actor filling one of the film’s primary legacy roles,Whiplashactor Miles Tellerwill portraythe son of Maverick’s former wingman, Goose, who was played by Anthony Edwards in the first film. Teller was seen on set with Cruise in someDecember 2018 photosthat reveal the mustache he’ll be sporting for the film — Teller’s look clearly inspired by Edwards’ impressively ’80s facial hair.
Tom Cruise and Miles Teller Spotted Filming “Top Gun: Maverick” in Lake Tahoe
SEE ALL THE PHOTOS –https://t.co/k5IJFNrCOf#TomCruise#MilesTeller#TopGunSequel#TopGunMaverick#BehindTheScenespic.twitter.com/JjjGRt03Jx
— Hollywood Pipeline (@HlywdPipeline)June 09, 2025
Teller andHidden Figuresactor Glen Powell were the final two contenders for the role. Despite Teller winning the part, Powell’s audition reportedlyimpressed theTop Gunproducers enoughto earn him a different, unidentified role in the film.
In July 2018,A Beautiful Mindactress Jennifer Connelly (below) was reported to be in talks to play the female lead in the film. The Academy Award winner isexpected to playa single mother who runs a local bar near the naval base where the story is set.
The danger zonegot a little more crowdedin August witha flurry of additional cast membersadded to the project.Mad Menactor Jon Hamm and four-time Academy Award nominee Ed Harris (Westworld) were among the most high-profile additions to the cast, joining the film in unidentified roles.
Also added to the cast that month was Lewis Pullman (the son of actor Bill Pullman), as well as Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit) as the daughter of Connelly’s character; Charles Parnell (A Million Little Pieces) as an admiral; Bashir Salahuddin (GLOW) as an engineer; and the trio of Jay Ellis (Insecure), Danny Ramirez (Assassination Nation), and Monica Barbaro (The Good Cop) as pilots.
Paramount Pictures isn’t revealing too many details about the sequel’s plot, but the story is rumored to explore the relationship betweenhuman pilots and unmanned dronesin the modern military. Given the film’s working title,Top Gun: Maverick, it’s expected that Cruise’s pilot character will be at the center of the story — likely fighting to affirm the value of human pilots.
The director
The film will reunite Cruise withObliviondirector Joseph Kosinski, who also directed 2010’sTRON: Legacy.Paramount Picturesconfirmed Kosinski as the film’s director in a July 2017 announcement that also revealed the film’s initial July 2019 release date. Perhaps just as notably, the original film’s producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, is alsobehind the scenesfor the sequel.
Kenny Loggins is planning to record a new version of his songDanger Zonefor theTop Gunsequel. The original film featured a memorable montage of flight clips set toDanger Zone, and Loggins indicated that he’s hoping to team up with ayoung rock musician or bandto give the song new life inTop Gun: Maverick.
Updated on July 02, 2025: Added new release date and behind-the-scenes video.
