Jennifer Connelly is starring in next summer’s Top Gun: Maverick, and here’s everything we know about her role so far. This Top Gun sequel that has been in the works for years and years – and it’s still a hugely anticipated film, even among amidst the plethora of upcoming superhero movies and sequels on the way.Top Gun stars Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer are set to reprise their respective roles as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in Top Gun: Maverick.
The Top Gun sequel will also be bringing along a truly stellar lineup of new supporting cast members, including Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, and Connelly. While filming on the sequel has already begun, not too much is known about the plot other than the fact it will take a look at how the Navy has evolved in the last 30 years and what it means to be a pilot in the modern age.
And while details on some of the new cast members and their characters are being kept close to the chest, there’s still quite a bit of information we can glean from production updates as well as the original film, especially for Connelly’s character. Let’s take a look.
Jennifer Connelly’s Is Maverick’s Love Interest In Top Gun 2
Connelly was cast as Top Gun 2’s female lead all the way back in July 2018. Since then, it’s been reported that Connelly’s character will be a single mother and will run a local bar that’s a favorite among the new Top Gun recruits. Maverick has always had luck finding a new love interest in bars, so it should come as no surprise that Connelly’s character will be working in one in Top Gun 2. In November 2018, Movieweb shared photos of Cruise and Connelly filming together, confirming the on-screen couple will be recreating an iconic Top Gun moment once shared by Maverick and Charlie (McGillis).
Jennifer Connelly’s Top Gun 2 Character May Have Been Teased In Top Gun
It’s possible that Connelly is playing Penny Benjamin, whose connection to Maverick was mentioned in Top Gun when he’s being dressed down by Stinger (James Tolkan). In that exchange, Stinger chews Maverick out, telling him, “Son, your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash. You’ve been busted, you lost your qualifications as section leader three times, put in hack twice by me, with a history of high speed passes over five air control towers, and one admiral’s daughter!” To this, Goose (Anthony Edwards) chimes in with, “Penny Benjamin?”
The name of Connelly’s character hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it would be a nice twist for a woman from Maverick’s past to come back into his life. Connelly’s character would be old enough to be Penny Benjamin, just 30-plus years older, and it’s entirely possibly Penny Benjamin, who has grown up a Navy admiral’s daughter, would run a bar that is still in close proximity to a base.
Jennifer Connelly’s Top Gun 2 Character Confirms This Top Gun Character Won’t Return
Connelly’s casting in Top Gun 2 all but confirms Top Gun female lead Kelly McGillis will not be returning to the sequel in any way, shape, or form; there’s only enough room for one love interest in this movie. With plot details being kept firmly under wraps, how Top Gun 2 deals with Maverick and Charlie’s split and what that means for the state of Maverick’s heart going into the movie will be curious to watch unfold. Will he still be reeling from their split? Did he and Charlie amicably split years before Top Gun: Maverick starts? Curious minds will have to wait until 2020 for the answer.