Actor confirms sequel to 1986 classic with filming to begin ‘probably in the next year’ 
 
 Tom Cruise has confirmed rumours that a sequel to 1986 classic Top Gun is in the works, with filming to begin “probably in the next year”. 
 
 He revealed the news while on a promotional tour for his upcoming film Mummy, telling Australian morning show Sunrise, “It is definitely happening.” 
 
 “It’s true. It’s true,” he said. “I’m going to start filming it probably in the next year. I know. It’s happening. It is definitely happening ... you’re the first people that I’ve said this to.” 
 
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 In January 2016, producer Jerry Bruckheimer tweeted a photo of himself with Cruise, saying: “Just got back from a weekend in New Orleans to see my old friend Tom Cruise and discuss a little Top Gun 2.” 
 
 “We’re trying to figure it out,” Cruise clarified in a subsequent appearance on the Graham Norton Show. 
 
 The sequel was hinted at again in April this year during an “Ask me anything” on Reddit, when Val Kilmer – who starred in the original film with Cruise and Kelly McGillis – was asked by a user whether he would be doing Top Gun 2. “Hell yes,” he replied, “and what a hoot it will be.” 
 
 JERRY BRUCKHEIMER (@BRUCKHEIMERJB) Just got back from a weekend in New Orleans to see my old friend @TomCruise and discuss a little Top Gun 2. pic.twitter.com/vA2xK7S7JS 
 
 Kilmer was also asked if the on-screen rivalry between his character Iceman and Cruise’s character Maverick was present off-screen as well. 
 
 “[Cruise] was a sweetheart,” Kilmer replied. “We were all quite rowdy me and all the real flyboys and the actors, so I actually felt a little sorry for him cause we all had time to play and date the cute extras and zoom around San Diego in muscle cars, but Tom was always in some scene and never got to play with us.” 
 
 Top Gun, an action and romance film about a squad of fighter pilots, grossed $356m after its 1986 release, and has since become something of a cult classic. 

 CLOSE Tom Cruise just confirmed a "Top Gun" sequel is happening, but people on social media seem to have figured out the plot already. Sean Dowling (@seandowlingtv) has more. Buzz60 
 
 There's a surprising number of 'Top Gun' promotional pictures with Tom Cruise doing a really serious thumbs up. (Photo: Paramount Pictures) 
 
 Tom Cruise is going back to the danger zone of Top Gun. 
 
 The star confirmed Tuesday during an Australian TV interview that he will begin shooting the much-discussed sequel to the 1986 classic Top Gun. 
 
 "It's true," Cruise repeated to the apparently surprised newscaster. "I'm going to start probably in the next year. I know, it's happening. It's definitely happening. 
 
 "You're the first people I've said it to, you asked me and so I'm telling you," the star added. 
 
 WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE: @TomCruise just confirmed that Top Gun 2 is happening! "I’m gonna start filming it probably in the next year". #sun7pic.twitter.com/X17xvxz4Q4 — Sunrise (@sunriseon7) May 23, 2017 
 
 No further details were given. The Top Gun sequel has long been a goal for producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Cruise, who shot to international stardom as hot-shot pilot Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. 
 
 Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis from 'Top Gun.' (Photo: Paramount Pictures) 
 
 The highest-grossing film of 1986, directed by Tony Scott, features a who's who of the biggest stars of that next decade: Cruise; Anthony Edwards as sidekick Nick "Goose" Bradshaw; Kelly McGillis as Cruise's love interest, defense contractor Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood; Val Kilmer as Cruise's nemesis, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky; and Meg Ryan as Edwards' young wife. There are even scenes with a young fighter pilot played by Tim Robbins. 
 
 Bruckheimer's decades-long quest for the sequel seemed to get jet boosters in January 2016 after he tweeted a photo of himself with Cruise when they met to discuss the project. 
 
 The duo threw out ideas with Jungle Book screenwriter Justin Marks for a new story centered around a now-senior Maverick. 
 
 CLOSE An oft-quoted line from 'Top Gun': "I feel the need, the need for speed." The movie, released on May 16, 1986, is marking its 30th anniversary. Paramount 
 
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– Tom Cruise has confirmed he'll be in Top Gun 2, and while there aren't many 54-year-old Navy fighter pilots in the real world, Maverick is unlikely to spend the film on desk duty. Cruise told Aussie interviewers Tuesday he'll be appearing in a sequel to 1986's highest-grossing movie, USA Today reports. "It is definitely happening," he told Sunrise. "I'm going to start filming it probably in the next year." Cruise didn't reveal further details on the sequel, which had long been hinted at by producer Jerry Bruckheimer and co-star Val Kilmer, who played Iceman in the original, the Guardian reports.