Some good news about Top Gun sequel!

Much talked about for years, but seemingly never that close to happening, it appears the momentum is finally, properly building for the sequel to Top Gun. Out promoting The Mummy, Tom Cruise dropped word that the film has a title… Top Gun: Maverick.

As he explains in the above video from Access Hollywood, Cruise wanted to avoid the number convention, much as the more recent Mission Impossible sequels have. While we’re not sure the film necessarily needs to hint it’ll focus partly on Cruise’s character (we could have predicted that), it’s interesting to note that despite all the talk of drones, it’ll have the same tone and style as the original, with Harold Faltermeyer on score duty and a plot full of competition between pilots – there will be aircraft carriers and jets. Watch Cruise sidestep the question of drones altogether, like a cocky pilot buzzing the tower when he’s warned not to…

Joseph Kosinski is the star’s choice to direct, and there may well be a return engagement for Val Kilmer as Iceman (though Cruise doesn’t mention any co-stars, probably because deals have to be done).

Shooting should kick off next year, so it seems we’ll be feeling the need for speed by 2019.