Director Joseph Kosinski reportedly will begin production on Top Gun: Maverick this summer, ahead of the project's scheduled 2019 release date. A sequel to the 1980s action classic starring Tom Cruise has been in development for a long time, but gained traction last year when Kosinski (Cruise's Oblivion helmsman) officially signed on to direct. The story will revolve around an older Pete "Maverick" Mitchell training a new generation of pilots while adapting to the modern U.S. Navy. Oscar nominee Eric Warren Singer (American Hustle) was the latest writer to take a pass at the script.
Recently, Top Gun 2 character descriptions (including Goose's son and a new love interest for Maverick) made their way online, suggesting that filming would start soon. While Cruise remains the only confirmed cast member as of this writing, it would appear some announcements will be made on that front in the near future, since Kosinski is aiming to start rolling the cameras over the summer.
Related: Top Gun 2 Character Descriptions
Omega Underground broke the news, saying the plan is for principal photography to run from July until November or December. This matches up with previous reports on the matter, as it's been theorized since last year Paramount was eying a 2018 production start.
Cruise was previously circling the role of (fittingly) a stuntman in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but Brad Pitt was cast in that part instead. Seemingly, scheduling conflicts (and not something else, like lack of interest) were to blame for that development, as both Tarantino's film and Maverick should be filming around the same time in order to meet their respective summer 2019 premieres. With Top Gun 2 starting up in a few months, it means Cruise's other gestating sequel, Edge of Tomorrow 2 likely won't commence until sometime next year. Emily Blunt will be busy with Jungle Cruise this summer, so Edge director Doug Liman has to wait until both of his stars are free.
Circling back to Maverick, it becomes the latest in a long line of "legacy sequels" hoping to revive classic Hollywood properties for a new generation. Several of these (Lucasfilm's new Star Wars movies, Jurassic World) have been very successful at the box office, but others (Terminator: Genisys) failed to connect. It will be interesting to see on which side of the spectrum Top Gun 2 lands. The original is an undeniable staple of '80s cinema, but Cruise's clout has diminished over the past handful of years, so Maverick may not be in high demand. A lot will depend on who Kosinski gets to star alongside Cruise and how the film shapes up.
MORE: Where Are They Now? The Cast of Top Gun
Source: Omega Underground
