Do you feel the need? The need for speed?
Sure you do – otherwise you wouldn’t be here reading about Top Gun: Maverick. But it seems Paramount’s action sequel needs a little more time in the oven before it knocks our socks off with its “incredible” flight sequences.
Per Deadline, Maverick has officially been grounded for an entire year, pushing the Joseph Kosinski-directed film from its July 2019 release window all the way back to June 26th, 2020. News of this extensive delay is all the more disappointing when you consider that Jon Hamm and Westworld star Ed Harris had just joined the ensemble cast alongside Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Glen Powell and Thomasin McKenzie.
In fact, filming initially began back in May, and was expected to resume next month… before Paramount had a sudden change of heart.
That initial status report came straight from Tom Cruise’s Twitter feed, and featured all the iconic hallmarks of the Top Gun series – Ray-Bans, the Maverick helmet, and a message asking its audience if they feel the need.
The Mission: Impossible – Fallout star is all set to reprise the role of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who has taken on the role of a flight instructor since his maiden voyage back in 1986. He’ll presumably be barking orders at a slew of new recruits, though beyond that, Paramount is yet to reveal any concrete story information about the long-in-development sequel.
And, sadly, it looks certain that it’ll be some time yet before the studio’s ready to showcase its wares. As of today, Top Gun: Maverick is shooting for a worldwide release on June 26th, 2020 – not summer 2019 – and only then will it be able to rekindle our love of cheesy ’80s action movies.