Tom Cruise isn’t the only one heading back into Top Gun‘s Danger Zone. Val Kilmer has reportedly signed on to reprise his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in Top Gun: Maverick.
According to The Wrap, Kilmer was spotted in San Diego near the Top Gun: Maverick set although Paramount Pictures declined to comment on the initial report. The film began shooting earlier this month. Kilmer’s involvement with the sequel isn’t a surprise, as he announced his desire to return as soon as it was offered to him three years ago.
Kilmer later clarified that he had prematurely announced his return. But it appears that Iceman will once again take flight in the sequel.
In director Tony Scott’s 1986 original film, Kilmer’s character was the primary rival to Cruise’s Pete “Maverick†Mitchell as they competed for the Top Gun trophy as fighter pilots for the Navy. However, their relationship softened by the end of the film when they developed a mutual respect for each other.
It’s currently unknown how Iceman and Maverick’s professional relationship has developed over the intervening decades, but the sequel will focus on Maverick’s position as a mentor for a new generation of fighter pilots. The rest of the cast has yet to be announced, but Tron: Legacy helmer Joseph Kosinski is directing the sequel.
Paramount will release Top Gun: Maverick on July 12, 2019.
Are you excited about the onscreen reunion of Kilmer and Cruise? Ride on to the comment section below and let us know what you’re thinking!
Images: ParamountÂ
