Tom Cruise has returned to Instagram with a new post that will take fans back in time to almost four decades ago when the first Top Gun film was released. The tribute photo, which celebrates the cult classic film's 35th anniversary this year, is also part of a promotional push to get fans excited for Top Gun: Maverick, the long-anticipated sequel.
Pictured in the post a seemingly age-defying Cruise admiring a large, black-and-white image from the original film. The moment captured in the image is quite iconic — it shows Cruise's Maverick and Val Kilmer's Iceman smiling and shaking hands while their pilot friends cheer them on in the background. While Cruise looks at the image, there is a boom mic operator holding a microphone over his head, which could indicate some sort of promotional video or behind-the-scenes clip in the works for the sequel.
In the caption, Cruise dedicated "Top Gun Day" to the loyal fans of the franchise for making the film a classic. First released back on May 16, 1986, Top Gun quickly became a fan favorite and remains to be one of the most recognizable films in the action genre today. Cruise's performance as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell helped skyrocket his career and many fans have long-awaited the character's return to the big screen. With Top Gun: Maverick soon to be released in theatres, fans will finally get what they've been asking for.
The sequel project has overcome many hurdles to get to this point. Due to the ongoing pandemic, there have been several production setbacks that have pushed back the release of the film on more than one occasion. Initially, Top Gun: Maverick had been scheduled to debut on December 23, 2020, but it was quickly pushed to July 2, 2021, due to the health crisis. After that, it was then pushed back again another couple of months to fall of this year, as most theatres will likely remain closed this summer. Hopefully, as more people get vaccinated, that will be the last delay.
In addition to Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise has his plate full of other projects, including two new Mission: Impossible movies which will serve as the seventh and eighth installments in the franchise. Perhaps his craziest endeavor is an untitled collaborative project with Elon Musk's SpaceX, where he hopes to be the very first person to film a full-length movie in outer space. Cruise is known for performing his own stunts and action choreography, so it's no surprise that he wants to take things to the next level.
Top Gun: Maverick arrives in theatres this November 19, 2021.
Source: Tom Cruise|Instagram