Top Gun 2 Director and Release Date Confirmed

Kofi Outlaw

08/31/2017 06:03 pm EDT

Earlier this year, Top Gun fans got excited when both Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer confirmed they were returning for Top Gun 2, and that the film was actually, finally, happening. If anyone was holding onto a healthy amount of skepticism about this project happening, they are officially free to start having faith:

Top Gun 2 - aka Top Gun: Maverick - has now been confirmed for a release date of July 12, 2019. As Deadline reports, the rumored director for the project, Oblivion's Joseph Kosinski, has now been confirmed to be re-teaming with Cruise for this long-awaited sequel.

Deadline also confirms the storyline that will see Cruise's Maverick now acting as an older (and hopefully wiser) flight instructor. Previous rumors also pointed to Maverick having to deal with a new era of pilot-less aircraft and drones - technological advancements that don't sit well with a gut instinct flyboy like Maverick.

In a recent interview, Cruise spoke about Top Gun: Maverick, saying, "Aviators are back, the need for speed. We're going to have big, fast machines. It's going to be a competition film, like the first one … but a progression for Maverick."

More TOP GUN News:

There Could be New Volleyball Scene in Top Gun 2

Val Kilmer Teases Iceman's Return

Top Gun 2 Title Revealed

Top Gun: Maverick will be in theaters on July 12, 2019.

Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

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