SAN DIEGO – After three years of delays, and nearly 36 years after 1986’s original “Top Gun” film blasted into theaters, Tom Cruise took the stage …
SAN DIEGO – After three years of delays, and nearly 36 years after 1986’s original “Top Gun” film blasted into theaters, Tom Cruise took the stage at the “Top Gun: Maverick” world premiere Wednesday to finally introduce his long-awaited jet-fueled sequel. “Does anyone want to see a movie in a movie theater? Let’s do it!” Cruise,59, exhorted the raucous, full crowd at Naval Air Station North Island’s Lowry Theater. “Let’s light the fires and kick the tires.” Cruise had reason to celebrate at the high-octane premiere, which included his red carpet arrival by helicopter aboard the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier. After finally agreeing to return to the role of hot-shot pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell that made Cruise an international superstar more than three decades ago, the sequel has overcome production and COVID-19 delays to open in theaters May 27. “It’s been 36 years, on and off, thinking and dreaming about this,” Cruise told USA TODAY on the red carpet. “And I had to push this movie off during the pandemic, and call everyone. Because I wanted this movie to appear in theaters and on the big screen. I’m happy for the cast and for audiences to finally be able to see this on the format that it was always intended for.” With co-stars Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell and Jennifer Connelly in the audience, Cruise gave thanks to director Joseph Kosinski, who has been persistently talking about making a “Top Gun” sequel since the two worked together on 2013 sci-fi thriller “Oblivion.
