Top Gun: Maverick has been delayed once again, this time being pushed six months from its planned release date of November 19, 2021, into May of 2022. The long-awaited sequel, which will see Tom Cruise reprise one of his most iconic roles as fighter pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, has been one of the worst-affected films of the covid-19 pandemic. Top Gun: Maverick is directed by Joseph Kosinski and costars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmer.
The first Top Gun was one of the biggest cinematic sensations of the 1980s, largely because of the revolutionary cinematography used to bring the film’s flight sequences to life. The performance from Cruise, Kilmer and Kelly McGillis became equally iconic, as did the film’s illustrious soundtrack. Talk of a Top Gun 2 circulated for years before the official confirmation of Maverick, fanning excitement among fans of the original. Unfortunately, the film has been plagued by delays, keeping it from the big screen time and time again.
Sadly, the curse of delays has struck Top Gun: Maverick once again. Per THR’s Aaron Couch, the film’s release date has been pushed from November 19, 2021, to May 27, 2022. That’s a delay of six months – another huge strike against a film that has struggled from the beginning to reach audiences. With luck, the new delay won’t dampen the excitement around Top Gun 2 too severely.
Top Gun: Maverick was initially meant to release on July 12, 2019. After the start of the coronavirus pandemic, that date was pushed to June 26, 2020, then to December 23, 2022, July 2, 2021, and eventually to November 19, 2021. Now that the November date has also been pushed, the movie won’t be arriving until nearly three years after it was originally intended to premiere. And there’s still no guarantee that May 27, 2022, will be the actual release date, as the movie could, of course, get delayed once again in the coming months.
A movie like Top Gun 2 demands a theatrical experience to maximize what makes it unique, so it makes sense that Paramount wants to give it the best release window possible. But three years is a long time, and the enthusiasm that initially surrounded the film may have faded somewhat with the repeated delays. There’s no doubt that Top Gun: Maverick will arrive in cinemas eventually, but with its earliest debut now on May 27, 2022, fans still have a long time to wait.
Source: Aaron Couch
