Hold on tight, because the first trailer for “Top Gun: Maverick” has arrived more than three decades after the original film hit theaters.
Tom Cruise, his aviators and his need for speed are all well intact in the first look at the follow-up to the classic ’80s film, which catapulted the actor to superstardom and singlehandedly made the world care about volleyball again.
The actor reprises his role as hotshot fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the long-gestating sequel. But in the era of drone technology, he’s now a mentor to a new crop of pilots, including protégé Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), who is the son of Maverick’s late co-pilot and BFF Goose (Anthony Edwards) in the 1986 film.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film seems to be leaning heavily into nostalgia with shots of Cruise putting on his iconic bomber jacket, dusting off his old motorcycle and heading straight into the danger zone.
And, yes, it looks like we’re in for another shirtless volleyball scene.
Cruise surprised the crowds at San Diego Comic-Con with an appearance at the tail end of Paramount’s “Terminator: Dark Fate” panel to introduce the trailer before it debuted online.
“34 years you guys have been very patient with me and I felt it was my responsibility to finally deliver for you,” the actor said, making special note of the film’s in-air flight sequences, which reportedly were to blame for the film’s delayed release.
“Everything you see in this film is very real,” he added.
The film also stars Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm and Ed Harris, with Val Kilmer returning as Maverick’s one-time rival “Iceman.”
“Top Gun: Maverick” opens June 26, 2020.