Tom Cruise surprised the massive Hall H crowd at this year's San Diego Comic-Con to introduce the debut trailer for Top Gun: Maverick. Cruise and Val Kilmer are reprising their roles as Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky, respectively, as the plot follows the former's fading career as a fighter pilot and transition into a mentor. The band of incoming recruits are the main focus in the sequel, coming in with the same naivety as Maverick's crew roughly 30 years ago and unprepared for the trials and tribulations that lie ahead. The trailer showcased the highs and lows felt by the incoming fighter pilots, along with homages to some of its predecessor's more famous scenes. The film also boasts a strong supporting cast that includes Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, and Miles Teller, who's playing the role of Goose's son.

Their presence at SDCC was one that was announced later, and to the surprise of many. The film's release is still a long ways out, with a release date of June 26, 2020, so details have been kept fairly mum surrounding the sequel. But the trailer release proved that audiences are excited to see what director Joseph Kosinski and his crew have in store. Not to mention, they definitely had a few surprises up their sleeve to get the crowd going.

Related: Top Gun 2 Trailer Breakdown: 13 Character & Story Reveals

Following the Terminator: Dark Fate panel, Cruise took to the stage to surprise the ecstatic Hall H crowd with the debut of the Top Gun: Maverick trailer. In a video from CinemaBlend on Twitter, Cruise built up the crowd's excitement by stating, "You all have asked for many, many years [...] and for 34 years you guys have been very, very patient with me," adding in, "I felt it was my responsibility to really deliver for you, and I have a little piece here if you want to see it." He concluded his time on stage by saying, "For me, Top Gun is about competition, it is about family, it is about sacrifice and about heroism, and it's about aviation. It's a love letter to aviation." You can check out the full video here:

Top Gun: Maverick was just one of a slew of jaw-dropping trailers that debuted at SDCC yesterday. Some of the biggest reveals included a full trailer for IT Chapter Two, brand new footage from Terminator: Dark Fate, a red band trailer for the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, a season 1 trailer for HBO's new series His Dark Materials, amongst many others. This was just the tip of the iceberg, as there are still three days left of Comic-Con, and plenty of big surprises on their packed slate.

Though a sequel to Top Gun may have seemed unnecessary at first, the sequel looks to be an exciting, fresh installment that's ready to usher in new people and a new story. Placing Cruise's Maverick in a mentoring position leaves open a variety of narrative possibilities, and also prevents the story from becoming a rehash of the original. Not only that, but its use of real aviation tactics and working with the Navy makes for a more immersive experience for viewers. We still have a long way until the release of Top Gun: Maverick, but the trailer is just enough to whet the appetite of anxiously-awaiting fans.

Next: Watch Every Trailer From SDCC 2019 Right Here

Source: CinemaBlend

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