Back in 1986, the release of Top Gun introduced a new genre in Hollywood. It completely redefined the military action drama by adding a pinch of romance to it. Tom Cruise as Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell made sure that his dashing looks stay in the heart of his fans forever.
It was not just Tom Cruise that robbed our hearts with his dashing looks; the whole movie is filled with handsome, hunky men complete with young Val Kilmer who played the iconic character “Iceman.”
One thing stood out and is still considered unmatched are the Top Gun dogfights. They were shot with real fighter jets, and filmmakers had to get special permissions from U.S Government and U.S military to use the footage. Tony Scott recalls those military pre-requisites as “Super cumbersome, and I wouldn’t do it again” in one of his interviews.
The introduction of real U.S fighter planes made all the dogfights look more, realistic and unique. TG is responsible for making the aviator sunglasses and bomber jackets a style statement. According to a stat released by Forbes back in early 90’s revealed, how this film inspired thousands of teens to apply at the Navy for fighter pilot positions.
Recently, Tom Cruise confirmed that Top Gun 2 is in works. The movie will be called Top Gun: Maverick. It will start filming next year, and he revealed that they are going to use a ton of real fighter Jets & drones once again in the sequel.
This time around it is going to be a battle between Maverick and the Drones. Jerry Bruckheimer is the producer of the film, and according to the reports, Joseph Kosinski is going to direct.
In one of the interviews, Jerry had pointed out that he wants to bring back as much as the original cast he can. These are the names of the original cast, who may come back in the Top Gun 2: Maverick:-
8. Tom Cruise ( LT Pete “Maverick” Mitchell)
Tom Cruise is still the same Tom Cruise with a few differences including his age, many hits and a couple of wives. The non-hired brand ambassador of sunglass industry, Tom Cruise has made quite a name in the past 30 years.
Thrice nominated for the Oscar, the 54-year-old has a streak of superhit movies like Interview With a Vampire, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, Eyes Wide Shut, Minority Report, Edge of Tomorrow and five Mission: Impossible movies. His personal affairs have often brought some negative headlines, but the good old chap has always managed to deal with them efficiently.
Currently, he is shooting for the sixth Mission Impossible with a bunch of other movies lined up. Those include Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Edge of Tomorrow 2 and The Mummy reboot. He will be the main lead in Top Gun’s next installment.
7. Anthony Edwards (LT. JG Nick “Goose” Bradshaw)
Nick Bradshaw remains to be one of the greatest wingmen Hollywood has ever witnessed. Unlike Cruise, Edwards already had two hits in his name, and his role as ‘Goose’ landed in Hollywood’s history books.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he appeared in the first eight seasons of ER as Dr. Mark Greene to rack up a pile of awards including a Golden Globe. His last visit to the skies was as Echo, a fighter plan in the Disney’s Animated flick “Planes.” In 2016, he directed the movie “My Dead Boyfriend. For the Top Gun fans, he’ll remain the loved ‘Goose’ forever, and they won’t mind his return as a ghost or something in the upcoming sequel at all. According to a story by Latino reviews, there is a probability that either his voice or a flashback scene is included in the sequel.
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6. Kelly McGillis (Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood)
Rolled up sleeves coupled with a red lipstick and some wavy blonde hair made Kelly the perfect partner for Tom Cruise in Top Gun.
From working in films like “The Accused” to making small appearances on docu-dramas and different TV series, Kelly has done it all. She even worked full time at a drug rehab center. Currently, she teaches acting and keeps making short appearances on TV and in some films. From few years, she hasn’t done any notable acting gigs, but in an interview, Kelly affirmed that she is in talks for TG sequel, just for a small cameo.
5. Val Kilmer (LT. Tom “Iceman” Kazanski)
One of the top characters of Top Gun, Val Kilmer initially had nothing to do with it, but he was destined to take up one of the most iconic roles in Hollywood. He turned out to be the perfect “Iceman” for director Tony Scott. His best work though came as the Caped Crusader in Batman Forever. His other roles that earned him some accolades include the much-beloved Willow, Jim Morrison in “The Doors,” and as Doc Holliday in “Tombstone.”
He lost his fame owing to his bad reputation in the industry. But that hasn’t kept him away from working in movies by making a guest appearance or playing some supporting roles. He hated Tom Cruise initially but is now supposed to keep that aside as he bids to make a comeback through Top Gun 2. We all would love to see our good old Iceman anyway.
4. Tom Skerritt (CDR. Mike “Viper” Metcalf)
His role as the sage mentor for Maverick and his mustache will always remain intact in the memories of every Top Gun fan. Skerritt worked in many movies including Alien before appearing in the Top Gun. After Top Gun, he kept working in films and TV series now and then. He received an Emmy Award for his role of Sheriff Jimmy Brock in CBS’s Picket Fences.
He last appeared in Field Of Lost Shoes with his Picket Fences co-star Lauren Holly. Skerritt is also a co-founder of “The Film School” and often works there as an instructor. He will be the part of Top Gun 2’s cast.
3. Michael Ironside (LT. CDR. Rick “Jester” Heatherly)
The toughened up flight instructor from Top Gun is now the most experienced artist in our list. He has worked in many films including Total Recall, Scanners, Starship Troopers, Terminator Salvation, X-Men: First Class, Smallville, and The Flash. He is now an actor, director, screenwriter, producer and also a voice over artist.
His tough-guy personality made him a perfect fit for the military type and villainous roles. He lent his voice to the animated series of Superman and also as Sam Fisher in the Splinter Cell gaming series. Not just in the movies or tv show, he is a tough guy even in real life. He managed to survive cancer twice and is still all hale and hearty.
He is going to play a significant role in the TG’s second part.
2. Meg Ryan (Carole Bradshaw)
Making her way into Hollywood with Top Gun, Meg Ryan lived up to her billing and acted as the perfect wife of Goose. She worked in soaps before making it big in Top Gun. Her role in Top Gun made her one of Hollywood’s top rom-com actress. Her best films include
“When Harry Met Sally,” French Kiss and the Tom Hanks-trilogy – Joe vs. the Volcano, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail.
She took a break from her work and returned only with some brief roles. She recently made her directorial debut with “Ithaca” starring Tom Hanks. She is expected to feature in Top Gun 2 as the mother of Goose’s son who’ll aspire to become a fighter pilot.
1. Tim Robbins (LT. JG Sam “Merlin” Wells)
After Goose dies, it is time for Merlin (Tim Robbins) to assist Maverick in the last epic dogfight of the film. 1986 was a lucky year for Tim as he later appeared in “Howard The Duck” to woo the audiences.
Tim’s career never went down from the moment he took up Top Gun. His peak, however, came when he appeared in arguably one of the world’s best movies till date, The Shawshank Redemption. His other notable works include Bull Durham, The Player, and Mystic River. He even co-starred with Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds. His most recent affairs include his appearance alongside Val Kilmer in The Spoils Of Babylon and also in HBO’s “The Brink” with Jack Black.
The rumors are that he is going play a significant role in the upcoming TG sequel. He could even be the villain.
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