Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski shares that the sequel will still be completed in time for its original release date. Like so many of 2020's upcoming movies, Top Gun 2's release has been delayed due to the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. The pandemic has forced movie theaters around the world to close, and in response, most major studios have delayed and rescheduled the release of all their upcoming films.

Due to the rescheduling of so many release dates, the summer blockbuster season is going to include a lot less blockbuster films. Big tentpole movies like Black Widow and Wonder Woman 1984 are now shifting their releases to later in the year, and highly anticipated movies like Fast & Furious 9 have pushed their releases back a full year to 2021. It's still unclear exactly when move theaters will reopen, and it may be even longer before they can operate at full capacity. In which case, those movies that have pushed their release dates the furthest may benefit most. As for the Tom Cruise-starring Top Gun 2, the sequel was originally set to release in June but has since moved to its new premiere date of December 23, 2020.

Related: Why Top Gun 2'S December 2020 Release Date Change Is A Good Move

In an interview with ComicBook.com, director Joseph Kosinski shared that even if Top Gun: Maverick was still releasing in June, the movie would be finished in time. "We're sticking to our schedule and finishing the movie just as if it were coming out on its original release date," Kosinksi explained, adding that:

Luckily, I'm in the home stretch of post-production where, despite all the restrictions of how you can work now, I'm able to continue doing my job and finish the movie, which is pretty amazing. If I were in any other phase of the project, it would be hard to do that, but because I'm in the tail-end of post, I'm able to do everything I need to to be able to to finish it.

Top Gun 2 cast members fly real fighter jets in video

Kosinski went on to say that once production is finally completed on Top Gun 2, they will still need wait six months before they can release it. While he noted it's an interesting decision to have to make, Kosinski said he believes it's also the right one because a movie like Top Gun 2 "is a movie that people need to see on the big screen," adding that, "and if there's no big screen, then you don't want to release this movie. We want this to be a shared experience on as big a screen as possible."

When Top Gun: Maverick hits those big screens in December, it'll be in a prime position to become one of 2020's biggest releases. As it stands, even with the many delays due to the coronavirus and theater shutdowns, December is not as heavily stacked as the summer months would have been. The biggest competition for Top Gun 2 will be Denis Villeneuve's Dune, Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, and Coming 2 America, all releasing the week prior, followed by In the Heights the week after. None of these films are necessarily targeting the same action-oriented audience, and that bodes well for Top Gun 2. Additionally, releasing the same weekend as Top Gun 2 is a new Tom & Jerry live-action/animated movie, so it seems safe to say Top Gun: Maverick will be the movie to beat that weekend.

Next: How Top Gun: Maverick's Action Scenes Compare To The Original Movie

Source: ComicBook.com

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