Given that Top Gun came out more than 35 years ago, I guess a few extra months isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things. But Top Gun: Maverick is one of the biggest movies that got caught up in the Covid pandemic, and it still hasn’t made its way to theaters. The film is currently scheduled for release this summer; at one point, it was supposed to open in theaters way back in 2019.

Obviously that did not happen, but if the latest trailer is any indication, the film might actually be worth the wait. If nothing else, the flying sequences look incredible. The aerial dogfight footage was a huge selling point for the original Top Gun, which was directed by the late Tony Scott. In Maverick, which is directed by Joseph Kosinski, the visuals have been updated to modern day, with jaw-dropping shots from the pilots’ perspective. If some of these images were done with CGI, it’s really darn good GBI, because the illusion is totally convincing.

And on top of all that, you’ve also got Tom Cruise back in the role that made him a mega-star, as hotshot pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. The rest of the cast includes Miles Teller, Jennifer Connolly, Jon Hamm, and Glen Powell. Take a look at the new trailer:

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.” Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

Top Gun: Maverick is currently scheduled to open in theaters on May 27. Please oh please oh please say there will be no more delays.

Things That Only Happen in the Movies

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