Tom Cruise will appear in the upcoming sequel Top Gun: Maverick, but there was one thing he needed before agreeing to sign on: Val Kilmer. The original Top Gun premiered in 1986 and went on to become number 1 in the box office for that year. Directed by Tony Scott, it was the story of Tom Cruise's Maverick, a hotshot pilot who needed to learn to be an effective part of a team.
The crucial character in Maverick's Top Gun character arc was his rival Iceman, played by Kilmer. Iceman's level-headed opposition to Maverick's antics propelled the character into a change he would have resisted without being forced to confront himself. The tension between Maverick and Iceman bounced back and forth like the volleyball in the film's famous beach scene.
Speaking to People, producer Jerry Bruckheimer (returning after producing the original) said that Tom Cruise was "adamant" that Kilmer be brought back in his original role. Despite rumors that Cruise and Kilmer had a feud behind the scenes on Top Gun, Kilmer has insisted that he and Cruise are friends who support one another, and there couldn't be better proof than this. Bruckheimer called Cruise the "driving force" behind the decision, saying he insisted they couldn't do the film without bringing in Kilmer. Read the full quote below:
[Cruise] said, 'We have to have Val, we have to have him back. We have to have him in the film. And he was the driving force. We all wanted him, but Tom was really adamant that if he's going to make another Top Gun, Val had to be in it.
[Kilmer's] such a fine actor, and he's such a good individual. We had such a good time on the first one and wanted to bring some of the gang back together again.
Top Gun: Maverick will feature Tom Cruise reprising the role, with Maverick now instructing a new crew of fighter pilots. This includes Miles Teller as the son of Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), a pilot who lost his life partially due to Maverick's actions. It is unknown how Kilmer's Iceman will figure into this plot, though Maverick will likely be especially vulnerable facing Goose's son, which is the perfect time for Iceman to swoop in and help whip him into shape yet again.
Considering how much Tom Cruise is making on Top Gun: Maverick, he certainly has the power to get his way. Thankfully, he made the excellent choice to be altruistic to a fellow actor while at the same time maintaining the integrity of his character's arc. As of this writing, Cruise and Kilmer are the only original actors that are confirmed to return, so the film, which will also feature Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm, and Ed Harris, will certainly benefit from having more than one veteran of the Top Gun universe tying it all together.
Source: People
