The highly-anticipated Top Gun sequel is officially in production! Tom Cruise, 55, posted a photo in the early hours of May 31 on social media of himself dressed in his old uniform. In the picture, Tom’s character Maverick is staring off at an F-14A Tomcat in the distance. He’s holding his helmet, which features “Maverick” across the back. “Feel the need,” the photo read, along with the hashtag “#Day1.” Oh, we feel it alright! “Feel the need” is the ultimate throwback to the original film. It’s one of the most iconic lines in movie history!
Details about the sequel, which will be titled Top Gun: Maverick, have been shrouded in secrecy for years. It’s been 32 years since Tom starred as Navy fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. The movie’s director, Joseph Kosinski, has dropped some hints at how different the sequel will be from the original film. “The Navy is very different now than it was in 1986. Back then, they hadn’t been in any war for 15 or 20 years at that point,” he told ComingSoon.net in 2017. “Now, here in 2017, the Navy’s been at war for 20 years… It’s just a different world now, so you can’t remake the first movie. It has to adapt.”
#Day1 pic.twitter.com/7jjPL277Es
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) May 31, 2018
Other than Tom, no other official casting has been announced. One person who is likely not returning is Anthony Edwards, 55, who played Nick “Goose” Bradshaw in the original film. Goose tragically died in the 1986 movie. However, Anthony is totally down for ghost Goose. “Get on social media, and start lobbying for ghost Goose using this hashtag: #ghostgoose,” he said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2017. “And tell America you feel the need, the need for ghost Goose.” Top Gun: Maverick is set to hit theaters on July 12, 2019.