Tom Cruise reflects on what it felt like to reunite with Val Kilmer for Top Gun: Maverick. Released in 1986, the original Top Gun from director Tony Scott became a worldwide hit, introducing audiences to Cruise’s hotshot pilot, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. The film sees Maverick butt heads with fellow Top Gun pilot Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Kilmer) before the two ultimately reconcile their differences and become an effective team. Now, more than 35 years after the release of the original film, Cruise and Kilmer are set to reunite once more for Top Gun: Maverick.
Trailers for Top Gun: Maverick hint at Kilmer’s return but actual footage of the actor in the movie has not yet been shown off, save for a reveal of his portrait on the wall. Kilmer himself has generated hype for the release of the film, sharing the official trailer on his Twitter account and ending the tweet with “#iceman signing off”.
It’s unclear exactly how prominent a role Iceman will play in the upcoming film but previous reports have suggested that Cruise pushed heavily for Kilmer to return, even expressing that he wouldn’t be interested in coming back as Maverick if Kilmer didn’t also come back as Iceman.
After a dramatic helicopter entrance to the Top Gun: Maverick premiere, Cruise took a moment to speak with ET, reflecting on what it meant to reunite with Kilmer and even hinting at one particularly impactful scene in the sequel. Cruise has high praise for Kilmer’s acting talent and calls teaming up with the actor again “very special”. Check out Cruise’s full comment below:
“With the first one, I really rallied hard for him to make the movie. And the kind of talent that he has, and you see that scene, it’s very special. This is very special.”
While it’s still unclear exactly how much of the film Kilmer will be in, Cruise’s comments would suggest that there’s at least one very moving scene between the two of them. Maverick and Iceman ended the original film on friendly terms and trailers for Top Gun: Maverick would suggest that the two characters continue to respect each other in the sequel. Trailers also hint that, while Maverick is reluctant to climb the Navy hierarchy and advance his career, Iceman had no such reservations, with Jon Hamm’s Cyclone referring to the character as an Admiral.
Top Gun: Maverick would appear to be upping the ante from the original film in many regards, in particular the aerial combat, but with the human relationships as well. Although Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017 and underwent a tracheotomy as part of his treatment, which drastically affected his ability to vocalize, it will surely be heartwarming to see the actor return to the big screen alongside Cruise. Cruise evidently found the experience to be a positive one and it won’t be long before audiences get to experience Maverick and Iceman reuniting for themselves with Top Gun: Maverick.