More than three decades after took audiences’ breath away, the release of the sequel – – has led fans to question if more instalments could be on the way in future.
The new film sees return to the air, reprising his role as pilot Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell as he’s tasked with teaching a group of Top Gun graduates the ropes.
With Maverick still proving he’s the best there is and a new cohort of budding pilots ready for action, could this mean that ?
On Thursday evening, Metro.co.uk spoke to Tom at the premiere of the film – which was attended by and , the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – to ask him that very question.
When probed on whether there will be more movies in the franchise and if so, whether Maverick would return or pass the baton onto the younger generation, the 59-year-old kept his cards close to his chest.
‘I think tonight I’m just going to enjoy this evening, right here. It’s been 36 years since the last one and we’ve all worked so hard. It’s such a wonderful evening,’ he said, beaming as he made his way down the red carpet in Leicester Square.
‘To finally have it open and see people, how much they’re enjoying it, and I don’t know… everything that everyone’s been through, to be able to look out and see everyone’s dressed to the nines… it’s a beautiful evening.’
Executive producer Christopher McQuarrie, who’s worked with Tom on several occasions on movies including Jack Reacher, the Mission Impossible franchise and Edge of Tomorrow, shared with Metro.co.uk when the Top Gun: Maverick creators knew the film was everything they’d hoped.
‘I would say I knew we had something the first time we tested the movie,’ he said at the UK premiere.
‘It was a very rough form, the music wasn’t finished, the sound design wasn’t finished, Lady Gaga’s song wasn’t in it. And there was spontaneous applause. That’s when I knew we had something special.’
He added that despite being a longtime collaborator of the Hollywood star, Tom still had the ability to take him by surprise on set.
‘There’s always a surprise, there’s always a level you didn’t expect. There’s a choice you weren’t planning for,’ he stated.
‘I’ll think I’ll know exactly what Tom’s going to do when I bring him something, and he constantly surprises me or looks at it with a different perspective. That’s any day on the job with Tom.’
Top Gun: Maverick introduces viewers to several new cast members, including Miles Teller as Lieutenant Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw, the son of Maverick’s late best friend Goose.
Jon Hamm is introduced as Vice Admiral Beau ‘Cyclone’ Simpson, while Val Kilmer makes his highly-anticipated return as Admiral Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, Maverick’s former rival and close friend.
Top Gun: Maverick was originally slated for a 2019 release, but it was delayed first to allow more time to work on flight sequences, and then subequently due to the pandemic and scheduling conflicts.
Top Gun: Maverick will be available to watch in cinemas in the UK from Friday May 27.
