After much anticipation, the official trailer to “Top Gun 2: Maverick” is finally here, and it looks like a doozy.
Actor Tom Cruise, who is reprising his role as Pete “Maverick" Mitchell in the sequel to the 1986 classic, surprised fans at San Diego Comic-Con Thursday with an unannounced visit and a first look at the film’s stunning new trailer.
“Thirty-plus years of service. Combat medals. Citations. Only man to shoot down three enemy planes in the last 40 years," Ed Harris tells Cruise’s title character in the opening sequence.
“Yet you can’t get a promotion. You won’t retire. And despite your best efforts, you refuse to die. You should be at least a two-star admiral right now, yet here you are — captain. Why is that?”
“It’s one of life’s mysteries, sir," Cruise responds, ever the cool customer, partially because saying, “Sir, you definitely know about the Fat Leonard incident,” would have knocked his status down a few notches.
Has Maverick hit the high-year tenure limit for an O-6? Maybe, but there is no up-or-out policy in a world solely based on shooting down commies, a language Capt. Mitchell happens to be fluent in.
The new film, directed by Joseph Kosinski (“Oblivion,” “Only the Brave,” “TRON: Legacy”), looks guaranteed to deliver on exponentially more fast-paced action than fans enjoyed in the original, as Cruise navigates new territory as an instructor training a future generation of pilots.
Don’t worry — leather jackets, aviator sunglasses, and sport motorcycles are all back.
Additionally, Goose’s son (Miles Teller) is following in his beloved father’s footsteps in playing drunken piano and joining in on shirtless recreational sports.
Trying to get these guys to stop drinking and playing piano or ditching shirts to play casual sports is like trying to fix the aviation community’s increasing plight of physiological episodes.
Cockpit oxygen issues aside, “Top Gun 2: Maverick” appears well worth the price of admission for the stunning cinematography alone.
Given the beautiful visuals, a titanic-sized IMAX screen would provide the best setting to quench your inner nerd.
Check out the trailer for the film, which hits theaters June 26, 2020.
J.D. Simkins is the executive editor of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.
