He was just 24 years old when Top Gun was first released in 1986.
And 36 years later, Tom Cruise didn’t look like he’d aged a day as the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, gears up for release after years of delays.
The 59-year-old movie star reprises his role as LT Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and looked as comfortable as ever as he slipped back into his pilot’s uniform.
Take their breath away: He was just 24 years old when Top Gun was first released in 1986 (right). And 36 years later, Tom Cruise didn’t look like he’d aged a day as the sequel Top Gun: Maverick gears up for release after years of delays
In Top Gun: Maverick, his character is now a flight instructor training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission unlike any living pilot has seen.
The highly anticipated sequel opens in UK cinemas on May 25th and in US cinemas on May 27th.
The original 1986 film was a blockbuster that put Tom on the map while starring alongside co-stars Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, Kelly McGillis and Val Kilmer.
The film was a smash hit, according to Box Office Mojo, grossing over $356 million on a budget of just $15 million. Top Gun was the highest grossing film of 1986.
On set: Filming on the sequel began on May 31, 2018, but the release date was pushed back due to the Covid pandemic
Iconic: The original 1986 film was a blockbuster that put Tom on the map while starring alongside co-stars Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, Kelly McGillis and Val Kilmer
“Top Gun” was Tom’s eighth feature film in what has since become a highly successful career.
Since then, the global star and household name has starred in a slew of hits including the Mission: Impossible franchise, War Of The Worlds, Rain Man, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire and Days Of Thunder.
The new film stars Miles Teller as Goose’s son “Rooster” who follows Goose’s path under the tutelage of Cruise’s maverick.
Also in the cast are Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Charles Parnell, Bashir Salahuddin, Monica Barbaro, Jay Ellis, Danny Ramirez, Greg Tarzan Davis with Ed Harris.
The sequel is directed by Joseph Kosinski with a screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie.
The sequel was supposed to be out years ago, but the original director, Tony Scott, who was set to helm the new installment, committed suicide in 2012.
Filming then began on May 31, 2018 in San Diego, California, but the release date was pushed back due to the Covid pandemic.
The original release date was July 2019, then it was pushed back to Summer 2020. Then the lockdown required a delay.
Cozy Co-Stars: In Top Gun: Maverick, Tom’s character is now a flight instructor training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a special mission. He stars in the film alongside Miles Teller and Jennifer Connelly
As 2020 rolled around, even a winter release seemed impractical for a variety of reasons, including schedule changes for other films.
Consequently, the film was pushed back to a July 2021, only to now be pushed back again due to clash with the release of other blockbusters.
While the public will have to wait a few more weeks to finally see the film, it was reported last month that Prince William and Kate Middleton got a VIP preview of the new movie.
Unbelievable: Top Gun was Tom’s eighth feature film in his now extremely successful career. The film was a smash hit, according to Box Office Mojo, grossing over $356 million on a budget of just $15 million
Need for Speed: The Movie, directed by Tony Scott, was produced by Jerry and Don Simpson (Tom in a 1986 promotional photo alongside Kelly McGillis).
Tom treated the couple to a private premiere of the highly anticipated sequel after learning the 39-year-old prince is a huge fan of the original 1986 film.
The Sun reports that ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival later this month, Tom organized a screening of Top Gun: Maverick for the couple along with some family and friends at a London cinema.
The selected group also included Sophie Wessex, 57, and Princesses Eugenie, 32, and Beatrice, 33, as well as some of the couple’s close friends.
Top Gun: Maverick hits UK theaters May 25 and US theaters May 27
Must see: Top Gun: Maverick hits UK cinemas on May 25th and US cinemas on May 27th