‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Release Date Majorly Delayed

Due to the rising coronavirus case numbers, Paramount has delayed its film slate to 2022. One of the major films getting a new release date is Tom Cruise‘s long-awaited Top Gun: Maverick. The action film has been delayed multiple times already and was set for release on November 19, 2021, but it will now be released on Memorial Day Weekend, May 27, 2022. Mission: Impossible 7 and Jackass Forever, Paramount’s remaining 2021 releases, have also been pushed to 2022.

“Paramount didn’t want to cherry-pick which movies will open in the current climate,” Deadline reports. “In their view, all their filmmakers and stars deserve the same consideration and positioning in a future potential robust box office marketplace.” The first 13 minutes of Top Gun: Maverick played at Cinemacon and was very well-received, stoking the excitement of fans who are going to have to wait a bit longer to see Cruise’s Maverick hit the skies. The clip, which has not been released to the public showed that Cruise’s Maverick was just as reckless as always and that he would butt heads with Miles Teller, who is playing the son of Anthony Edwards’ Goose, who died in the original film. Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Glen Powell, Jay Ellis, Manny Jacinto, and Monica Barbaro round out the cast.

Additionally, producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed In an interview with PEOPLE that Cruise was insistent on the return of his original costar, Val Kilmer. Kilmer has been battling throat cancer and has been in recovery, but Cruise wanted the Iceman to his Maverick to return. “He said, ‘We have to have Val, we have to have him back. We have to have him in the film,’” Bruckheimer explained. “And he was the driving force. We all wanted him, but Tom was really adamant that if he’s going to make another Top Gun, Val had to be in it.”

“He’s such a fine actor, and he’s such a good individual,” Bruckheimer said of Kilmer. “We had such a good time on the first one and wanted to bring some of the gang back together again.” The veteran producer also said that the acting reunion was “emotional” for Kilmer and Cruise. “It was a really emotional experience for all of us,” he said. “It was a long time getting there, but we did.”