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The original Top Gun (1986) was an unhinged, hyperpatriotic adrenaline rush that served up a testimony to American military might – with a side order of volleyball in jeans. This weekend, just in time for Memorial Day, we get the long-awaited sequel, Top Gun: Maverick . Thirty-six years have passed since the original, though you wouldn't know it by looking at the curiously ageless Tom Cruise, who is back in the cockpit as Maverick, the renegade flyboy and chronograph enthusiast.

Instead of being the smooth-faced, smooth-talking rookie, he's now an instructor. One of his students happens to be the son of his old pal Goose (RIP), played by Miles Teller of Whiplash fame.

Maverick (Tom Cruise) looking extra nostalgic, wearing his Porsche Design Chronograph in Top Gun: Maverick. Image, Paramount

The movie is positioned as an old-fashioned blockbuster. My colleague Cole "Iceman" Pennington, HODINKEE's resident aviation expert, texted me yesterday saying it has the "The best flying scenes that have ever been made, period."

The master himself, Maverick (Cruise) wearing his Porsche Design in front of his students who are each outfitted in IWC watches in Top Gun: Maverick. Image, Paramount

Are you feeling what I'm feeling? I feel the need, the need for spotting watches in the latest Top Gun film. And boy are there plenty of 'em.

Great balls of fire, it's opening weekend!

This article will be a spoiler-free affair, given that the film is so new. But the basic setup is as follows: A rogue nation is harboring a uranium repository deep within a mountain base. The location of this nation makes it impossible for the most modern aircraft to carry out a strike. So in order to get intel, top pilots and old-school fighter jets are needed. Someone has to teach those pilots, and that someone is you-know-who. When last we saw Maverick, he was but a student – now he is the master.

Maverick (Cruise) just psyched to be wearing his Porsche Design Chronograph in Top Gun: Maverick. Image, Paramount

In 1986, Maverick famously wore a Porsche Design Chronograph 1 by Orfina, a fully blacked-out sport watch that came to prominence in the '70s and '80s. So what does he wear in 2022? A Porsche Design Chronograph 1 by Orfina – or at least that's what it appears to be. In fact, it looks to be the exact one he wore in the original film. This means that not only has he not progressed beyond the rank of captain, but he also has managed to not buy a new watch. He also has the same motorcycle from the original film. Who needs new stuff?

Similar Porsche Design Chronograph by Orfina as the one worn by Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick

Porsche Design watches have an interesting history. They were powered by Valjoux movements and shared similar case, dial, and overall styling with a few other brands during those decades. Brands like Heuer and LeJour made effectively identical watches to the Porsche Design chronos, with the same movements, only a different logo on the dial. You can see one such watch in K ramer vs. Kramer (1979), which we covered in one of the earliest installments of Watching Movies. Porsche Design also has a quirky manufacturing past. The watches were made by Orfina, as we see here, and by IWC. Now they're their own entity.  

Speaking of IWC, if you know a little bit about TOPGUN (the real-life Navy Fighter Weapons School) then you know that IWC watches loom large in that world. There are special IWC models that are only available to instructors and students. IWC calls these "Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor" (SFTI) models and they come in both Mark XVIII and Chronograph variations. These watches appear in droves in this film.

Miles Teller as Rooster, wearing an IWC "Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor" in Top Gun: Maverick. Image, Paramount

IWC "Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor" Mark XVIII

IWC "Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor" Chronograph

Each of the recruited pilots, Maverick's underlings, wear these special IWC watches, both in chronograph, and time and date configurations. And that's not all. In a pivotal scene toward the film's end, you'll see a prominently featured IWC stopwatch. To my knowledge there isn't a modern stopwatch in the IWC catalog so it's possible this was made just for the film.

That's not all, watch-wise. In fact, this movie is what I might call a target-rich environment for watch spotting. As Maverick's love interest, Jennifer Connelly plays Penny Benjamin – and on her wrist is what looks to be a Rolex steel sports watch. While initially it appeared to be an Oyster Perpetual — a closer look at the watch indicates that it could be an Explorer, and a vintage Explorer (potentially a ref. 1016) at that. 

Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly) and the bracelet to her vintage Rolex in Top Gun: Maverick. Image, Paramount

Top Gun: Maverick is a horological fever dream, and it's also chock-full of automotive intrigue. Keep your eyes peeled for an air-cooled Porsche 911 and a Ford Bronco, in addition to the OG bike. There are also some nice planes, like Maverick's own P-51 Mustang. 

The film opens on an aircraft carrier and then gives us exactly what we want: Maverick. We watch as he preps for a test flight to achieve Mach 10 speed (a feat that has never been recorded … to our knowledge). As he does so, we get a clear glimpse of the Porsche Design Chronograph on his wrist. Shortly after, he merges onto the highway to the danger zone and not only hits Mach 10, but bests it. Tom Cruise, man.

Image, Paramount

About 15 minutes into the film we find ourselves inside a dive bar where the naval aviators hang out. This is where we're first introduced to the recruits that Maverick will eventually be training. It's a fun scene because we watch them meet one another and size each other up. But most importantly, they're each wearing IWC TOPGUN watches. All those IWCs in one place can really take your breath away.

Top Gun: Maverick  (starring Tom Cruise) is directed by Joseph Kosinski with props by Robbie Duncan. It is now playing in theaters everywhere.

The HODINKEE Shop features a selection of pre-owned and vintage IWC and Rolex timepieces; explore our collection here. For more information about watches from Porsche Design and IWC , visit their websites.

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Now Confirmed, Tom Cruise Brings Back the PVD Porsche Design Chronograph in “Top Gun: Maverick”

We somehow spotted it 2 years ago, but it is now confirmed.

Two years ago, when we thought the sequel to what’s undeniably the best pilot’s movie of all times (sorry, I stand by it…) was about to be released, our resident watch spotter Nick Gould gave us a hint on the watch to be worn by Naval Aviator Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick … Even though the launch of the movie had to be postponed – thanks Covid – the watch in question could be glimpsed (not in the best possible way though) in the trailer. And as Top Gun: Maverick is now about to be released, we got the final confirmation. Indeed, Tom Cruise will again wear a cult black-coated Porsche Design Chronograph in the 2022 sequel, just like he was in the 1986 movie Top Gun . And this is objectively quite cool!

Back to basics. The original movie Top Gun was released in 1986, starring Tom Cruise as Naval Aviator Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. A trained pilot with talent but also a certain love for disrespecting the rules, he and his Radar Intercept Officer Nick “Goose” Bradshaw will be selected to attend TOP GUN, the Naval Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar. This 1986 movie, which is often considered a proper cult element of the 1980s pop culture (and so is the music), made quite an impact on my generation… How many of us have dreamed of being behind the stick of an F-14 Tomcat fighter…?

There was a watch involved in the movie. Indeed, on his wrist, Tom Cruise portrayed Pete “Maverick” Mitchell with a Porsche Design Chronograph with a black PVD coating, produced by Orfina – we had some questions regarding if the watch was powered by a Lemania 5100 or a Valjoux 7750, but with new images we found, it appears that the watch was then powered by a Valjoux, which is visible thanks to the counter at 12 o’clock with a minute counter and 10/20/30 markings, and not a 6/12/18/24 track like in the Lemania version.

Pete “Maverick” Mitchell’s Porsche Design Orfina blackened watch is visible throughout the entire movie. And just like the film has gained cult status, the watch also became even more famous after its release in theatres – yet, one has to remember that this specific model is important historically, since it was the first watch released (launched in 1972) with a black PVD coating, as well as being the first watch ever produced by the brand. And to make it even better, this model celebrated this year its 50th anniversary with a faithful re-edition .

  Voir cette publication sur Instagram   Une publication partagée par Nick (@niccoloy)

Two years ago, when the movie was about to be released, and before being postponed, our resident spotter Nick, thanks to the trailer published by Paramount Pictures, could have a glimpse at a watch … and it appeared to be a blackened watch, with high possibility to be again a Porsche Design Chronograph. And Nick, through his Instagram account @niccoloy , has again broken the news, sharing an image that leaves no doubt about the nature of the watch in question. The watch we happened to love in the 1986 Top Gun movie is back in 2022, on the wrist of Tom Cruise as he portrays Pete Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick .

What we know for sure now is that it’s a Porsche Design Chronograph, with a black coating. What we don’t know yet exactly is the model Tom Cruise will be wearing. Will it be a vintage PD x Orfina with Vlajoux 7750? Will it be the exact same watch as in the 1986 movie, or another, equivalent watch? Could it be a modern re-edition? It seems that the watch visible in the images and in the trailers, is in far better condition than the watch seen in the original Top Gun movie, where the coating was partially gone. Here, in Top Gun: Maverick , Tom Cruise seems to be wearing a model in pristine condition, with a black coating covering entirely the watch and the bracelet.

The answer to this precise question will probably be easier to give once Top Gun: Maverick  has been released in theatres, which is expected to be on May 27, 2022. The film will premiere at CinemaCon on April 28, 2022, and will also have a screening at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2022.

Photo credits: Paramount Pictures, Getty Images and Shutterstock. 

9 responses

Porsche Design reissued the Chronograph 1 for the first time in the late 2000s. Maybe Tom is wearing one of these reissues. They have the Valjoux 7750.

Who still wears watches? With all the tech we have nowadays, watches are so redundant as to be useless. The watch is now merely jewelry for the vain, the indulgent or the technophobe.

For some people obviously a watch is just something to tell time. For me a watch is much more than that… Is a piece to appreciate the beauty of his dial, case, movement. Is a piece that has memory and still creating a story. Is a piece that at times we can walk in a meeting and tell the people who we are. Yes is also a jewelry piece that at times we can FLEX. Is no different than the guy who drives a 911 porsche instead of a Nissan Sentra.

People think they are so advanced when they say that. Checking the time on your phone is like going back in time to pocket watches. It took time and tech to get to the wristwatch ❗ Also, what do you think about tattoos and earrings ❓

Not just the best pilot movie of all time but the best movie full stop. The opening sequence of those jets screaming along the carrier deck is still mesmerizing. Watch on a big screen with bigger speakers !

Can’t beat he reall thing techbwatches are not hsnd made but computor made yep will stick with quality !!!

I worked for the AIR BOSS on the USS Lexington CVT16, Most pilots worn Rolex’s and Enlisted Omega’s ! Sorry Tom this is the Real World ! We have no SPONSOR’S!

See link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0c8hwgc/movies-with-ali-plumb-becoming-maverick-a-tom-cruise-top-gun-special

It’s the very same original TG watch however TC doesn’t own it and had to ask jerry Bruckheimer for a loan during filming.

@ James Hoyt. Wow the blue ghost! My uncle was on that ship when it was attacked by the Japanese during World War II at the battle of coral sea. That must be quite an honor to walk a ship, who so many heroes walked that same deck. God bless you for your services XO(executive officer)! God bless that ship for being a ship that was never meant to sink. My uncle Ed was part of the marine detachment aboard the USS Lexington that 8th day of May 1942 when the cowardly attacked our fleet. Again, God bless you for your services! My father was also a World War II veteran. May he and my uncle head rest in peace. The strange thing is; my dad could never come to terms with my uncle dying. My uncle Ed died on May 8, 1942, my father died on May 8, 2000. I think it’s safe to say; his brother came to get him and bring him home. God bless everybody out there. Whether you be active duty, reserves, first responders or anybody who protects his country. A lot of us truly respect and admire you for what you do.

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Top Gun: Maverick

After thirty years, Maverick is still pushing the envelope as a top naval aviator, but must confront ghosts of his past when he leads TOP GUN's elite graduates on a mission that demands the ... Read all After thirty years, Maverick is still pushing the envelope as a top naval aviator, but must confront ghosts of his past when he leads TOP GUN's elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it. After thirty years, Maverick is still pushing the envelope as a top naval aviator, but must confront ghosts of his past when he leads TOP GUN's elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.

• Joseph Kosinski
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• Jennifer Connelly
• Miles Teller
• 4.3K User reviews
• 437 Critic reviews
• 78 Metascore
• 107 wins & 234 nominations total

• Capt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell

• Penny Benjamin

• Lt. Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw

• Adm. Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky

• CWO4 Bernie 'Hondo' Coleman

• Adm. Beau 'Cyclone' Simpson

• Adm. Solomon 'Warlock' Bates

• Lt. Natasha 'Phoenix' Trace

• Lt. Robert 'Bob' Floyd

• Lt. Reuben 'Payback' Fitch

• Lt. Mickey 'Fanboy' Garcia

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• Lt. Neil 'Omaha' Vikander

• Lt. Billy 'Fritz' Avalone

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• Lt. Brigham 'Harvard' Lennox

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• Trivia At the insistence of Tom Cruise , minimal green screen and CGI aerial shots exist in the film, and even the close up cockpit shots were taken during real in-flight sequences. This meant that much of the cast had to undergo extensive G-force training sessions to withstand the physical demands of G-force pressures during flights.
• Goofs At 1h12'10" Coyote is in G-LOC, releases the stick and his aircraft falls towards the ground. Super-hornet are equipped with auto GCAS (automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System), which would react to the situation and take control to climb and level at a safe altitude with no obstacles.

Rear Admiral : Maverick. Thirty-plus years of service. Combat medals. Citations. Only man to shoot down three enemy planes in the last 40 years.

[Cain looks through pages of Maverick's records]

Rear Admiral : 'Distinguished.' 'Distinguished.' 'Distinguished.' Yet you can't get a promotion, you won't retire, and, despite your best efforts, you refuse to die. You should be at least a two-star admiral by now, if not a senator. Yet here you are: Captain. Why is that?

Maverick : It's one of life's mysteries, sir.

Rear Admiral : This isn't a joke. I asked you a question.

Maverick : I'm where I belong, sir.

Rear Admiral : Well, the navy doesn't see it that way. Not anymore.

Rear Admiral : These planes you've been testing, Captain, one day, sooner or later, they won't need pilots at all. Pilots that need to sleep, eat, take a piss. Pilots that disobey orders. All you did was buy some time for those men out there. The future is coming, and you're not in it.

[Cain faces the officer by the door]

Rear Admiral : Escort this man off the base. Take him to his quarters. Wait with him while he packs his gear. I want him on the road to North Island within the hour.

[surprised look on Maverick's face]

Maverick : North Island, sir?

Rear Admiral : Call came in with impeccable timing, right as I was driving here to ground your ass once and for all. It galls me to say it, but... for reasons known only to the Almighty and your guardian angel, you've been called back to Top Gun.

Maverick : Sir?

Rear Admiral : You are dismissed, Captain.

[Maverick proceeds to leave Cain's office]

Rear Admiral : The end is inevitable, Maverick. Your kind is headed for extinction.

[Maverick turns around]

Maverick : Maybe so, sir. But not today.

• Crazy credits "Top Gun 001: Tom Cruise" is listed among the other pilots who worked on the film.
• Connections Featured in Conan: Tom Cruise (2019)
• Soundtracks Danger Zone From Top Gun (1986) Original Soundtrack Written by Giorgio Moroder & Tom Whitlock Performed by Kenny Loggins Courtesy of Columbia Records By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment

User reviews 4.3K

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• May 27, 2022 (United States)
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• $170,000,000 (estimated)
• $718,732,821
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• Runtime 2 hours 10 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• IMAX 6-Track
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Where to watch oscar-winning film ‘top gun: maverick’ online.

Here's where you can stream the Tom Cruise blockbuster and shop merch seen in the airborne action movie.

By Danielle Directo-Meston

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Top Gun : Maverick soared at the global box office this summer — and the big-budget blockbuster is also flying high after winning an Oscar for best sound .

The Tom Cruise starrer also earned Academy Awards nominations for best picture, best adapted screenplay and best original song (for Lady Gaga and BloodPop’s “Hold My Hand”) in addition to two Golden Globes nods , including best motion picture in the drama category. (Despite his absence at the Oscars , Cruise still garnered plenty of attention at the ceremony.)

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Tom Cruise reprises his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who returns more than 30 years after the events in the original film to train the latest class of elite naval aviators. Original Top Gun star Val Kilmer appears briefly as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, and the film also stars Miles Teller (as the son of Mav’s late pal and radar intercept officer, Goose), Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Ed Harris, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Charles Parnell, Bashir Salahuddin, Jay Ellis and Greg Tarzan Davis.

Below, keep reading to find out all of the ways to watch Top Gun: Maverick and the original film, plus where to shop the sunglasses seen onscreen and more Top Gun memorabilia.

Where to Watch Top Gun: Maverick Online

Top Gun: Maverick is available to stream online on Paramount+ ($5 to $10 monthly) and MGM+ ($6 monthly), which was previously Epix. A subscription is required for both streaming services, which each offer seven-day free trials.

You can also buy or rent Top Gun: Maverick and the original film on digital on Amazon Prime Video (on sale for $3 to $17 for a limited time), Google Play , iTunes , Vudu and YouTube Movies & Shows .

Paramount+ costs $5 per month for the ad-supported Essential plan or $10 monthly for the Premium option. Paramount+ also comes with a seven-day free trial, so new subscribers can watch Top Gun: Maverick for free during that period.

However, only the Premium tier lets you watch your local CBS station and live sports (including  March Madness , Champions League and  NFL games ), enjoy limited ads (only on live TV and select shows), stream on up to three devices, create profiles for other family members and download select shows to watch later.

MGM+ is available via traditional and digital cable TV customers (price varies), or you can subscribe to the standalone app for $6 per month or $50 annually for a limited time. The ad-free service includes access to MGM feature films such as House of Gucci , Licorice Pizza , Sonic the Hedgehog , the James Bond and Rocky franchises and more, plus original series such as Belgravia (the new period drama from Downton Abbey and Gilded Age creator Julian Fellowes), Billy the Kid and the third season of Godfather of Harlem , which debuted with the platform’s rebrand launch.

If you’re located outside of the U.S. and want to access your Paramount+ account, you can use a virtual private network (VPN) such as ExpressVPN . The service costs $7 to $13 per month and lets you log into high-speed servers across more than 90 countries while keeping your data private and secure, and new subscribers get three free months; learn more here .

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Val Kilmer wore Matsuda’s M2026 frames in light brown; they’re also available in other colors.

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Tom Cruise Showcases Two Cartier Watches While Promoting ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

The movie star has an appreciation for the french brand's timepieces..

Senior Staff Writer

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Movies are Tom Cruise’s true passion , but he cares about other things, too. Like watches.

The Top Gun: Maverick star has taken advantage of the return of the multi-week, globe-spanning publicity tour to show off his horological taste. Last week, that meant wearing not one but two exquisite Cartier timepieces while promoting the blockbuster in South Korea.

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The first of those timepieces, a Calibre chronograph, could be seen on the actor’s wrist as soon as he got off the plane at Gimpo Airport in Seoul. The watch was introduced by the French brand in 2010 and was its first powered by an in-house movement, hence its name. Unlike Cartier’s most famous model, the Tank, it features a round 42 mm stainless-steel case that is attached to a matching bracelet by some rather prominent lugs. Under its scratch-resistant crystal is a white face with prominent Roman numeral hour markers, luminous hands, 12-hour and 30-minute sub-dial and a date aperture at 6 o’clock. It has a power reserve of 48 hours and is water-resistant to up to 328 feet. No longer in production, it can regularly be found at online marketplaces, like Chrono24 , for a little over $9,000.

Tom Cruise and his Cartier Santos de Cartier  AP Images/Cartier

Cruise displayed another Cartier, this time a Santos de Cartier, days later at a press event in South Korea’s capital city. Unlike the Calibre, it has the rectangular shape that the brand’s watches are most commonly associated with. The timepiece, which GQ notes was designed at the behest of pilot Alberto Santos Dumont, has a 39.8 mm stainless steel case that houses a silvered opaline dial with Roman numeral hour markers, blue sword-shaped hands and a date window at 6 o’clock. At its heart is the calibre 1847 MC automatic winding movement and it’s also water-resistant up to 328 feet. Unlike the actor’s other watch, it’s still in production and is available directly from the brand for $7450.

Cruise may have only worn Cartiers in South Korea, but he’s not a one-brand timepiece kind of guy. When Top Gun: Maverick premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, an ultra-thin Vacheron Constantin peeked out of the cuff of his tuxedo. And in the film itself, his titular character can be seen wearing a Porsche Design chronograph .

Bryan Hood is a digital staff writer at Robb Report. Before joining the magazine, he worked for the New York Post, Artinfo and New York magazine, where he covered everything from celebrity gossip to…

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Porsche Design Chronograph 1 - Tom Cruise - Top Gun

Tom Cruise wears a  Porsche Design Chronograph 1  watch in the movie  Top Gun (1986) and he wears the watch once again in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

In this article we will show you the EXACT model that Tom Cruise wears in the first Top Gun film.

The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 was the first watch with a black PVD coating, originally launched in 1972 this was a revolutionary watch. Designed by Ferdinand Porsche (designer of the Porsche 911), the watch was produced by Orfina.

There are variations of the watch, with different inner bezels and with Orfina logo and versions with "PD" (Porsche Design) logo.

The close up image on the left shows the exact variation of the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 worn by Tom Cruise: it's the reference number 7750, with on top of the bezel the "60" - "1 MILE" and the PD logo.

As can be seen in the film and the close-up images, the black PVD coating has worn off Tom's watch in the first Top Gun film. In the new Top Gun: Maverick film, the black PVD coating on the strap look immaculate, either from a restoration or by using a different watch.

An original Porsche Design Chronograph 1 in good condition can fetch close to $10,000.

Alternatives

If you're looking for an affordable alternative you could consider the Dan Henry 1972 Maverick model which is a very good replica of the watch, although on eBay even those watches can fetch around $800 .

Another copy of the Porsche is the Lorsa Valjoux 7750, which also still costs $699 on eBay .

A different looking black chronograph is for example the Bulova 98A186 on Amazon for $520 .  

In Top Gun: Maverick , we can also spot a lot of IWC watches. IWC provides watches to the real Top Gun school and offers a range of Top Gun branded watches.

Related sightings

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Anatomy of a Scene

Watch Tom Cruise Go Hypersonic in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

The director Joseph Kosinski narrates a sequence from the film.

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By Mekado Murphy

In “Anatomy of a Scene,” we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into making key scenes in their movies. See new episodes in the series on Fridays. You can also watch our collection of more than 150 videos on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel .

“Want Mach 10? Let’s give ’em Mach 10.”

That line, delivered by Maverick (Tom Cruise) in the long-anticipated, and already quite popular , sequel to “Top Gun,” may help to prepare audiences for the fact that things have become a little bit more updated in the sky since the 1986 original.

This early sequence has Maverick arriving to discover that the hypersonic flight test he was meant to perform has been canceled by an admiral (Ed Harris), who would prefer to spend on drones.

But “canceled” is not in Maverick’s vocabulary, and he proceeds with the test as planned, aiming to reach Mach 10 speeds.

Discussing the scene, the director Joseph Kosinski said that he and his crew designed the sleek aircraft in conjunction with Skunk Works, a division of Lockheed Martin.

It is based on an aircraft “that may or may not exist,” he said. The shots of it in the hangar are “a full-scale mock-up that we built with their cooperation.”

Kosinski said the scene was meant to “take a turn and take ‘Top Gun’ into the future. Here we see Maverick on the very cutting edge of aviation.”

Pay close attention to the final shot of the scene, where Maverick takes off. It had to be done by one of the few Navy pilots cleared to fly what is called a low-altitude transition maneuver. The pressure wave the maneuver created destroyed a piece of the set, which meant the crew was only able to do the shot once.

Read the “Top Gun: Maverick” review.

Sign up for the Movies Update newsletter and get a roundup of reviews, news, Critics’ Picks and more.

Mekado Murphy is a senior staff editor with a focus on movies coverage. He joined The Times in 2006. More about Mekado Murphy

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Tom Cruise earns his wings as a watch-collecting maverick with a Vacheron Constantin

By Thor Svaboe

You would think Tom Cruise 's watch collection would be chock-a-block with everything from a daily platinum Rolex Daytona to bussed-down Richard Milles. But that’s where you’re wrong – Tom Cruise's watches have been playing a quiet game for most of his career.

But what has Maverick actually been wearing over the years, and why was his choice of wrist candy in Cannes last week for the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick a game-changer for Cruise’s horological street-cred? Take a closer look at Tom Cruise's watch collection and you’ll get the picture.

The late nineties icon Breitling Chronomat

Nothing says the late nineties and peak Mission Impossible fame like a brash, bold Breitling Chronomat. True to his Maverick roots, Tom can make even this bulky beast look just right, while a lit Cartier Tank would be too discreet for his Alpha Male credentials. Today we look back at big-wrist glamour with nostalgia, it might even make your buzzing silicon valley pebble feel too techy for its own good.

Steel Rolex Datejust with Roman numerals

Judging from plenty of online snaps from the previous decade, this might just be a fave everyday watch for The Cruise. The Roman numerals on his DJ make it a lateral, sensible but risky proposal. Ostensibly, this is one of the few accessible Rolex references out there and will look great with the right outfit. Get it wrong though, and you’ll look like that junior bank manager in Slough still waiting for a promotion to Head Office after 15 years of grey polyester-mix suits.

The Panerai connection

Cruise has a deep affinity for the ’00s, and his love for Panerai is the big-diameter Italian proof. They might have fallen off the radar lately, but his action movie-wrists are big enough to pull off such a watch. Both on-screen in Tropic Thunder and while in convo with Oprah he was spotted wearing the heavy metal choice of a Panerai Luminor on a bracelet.

Offbeat French style with the Calibre de Cartier

Lately, Tom Cruise has kept up his quirk choice of late noughties wristwear with the Calibre de Cartier. This is the brawny steel sports watch Cartier recently – and quietly – faded out, so maybe Cruise is onto something. Given the soaring values of Cartiers in today’s market, could this be a sleeper hit?

The game-changing Vacheron Constantin

In a 50-minute on-stage feature interview in Cannes this week, it seems someone has (finally?) taught Cruise a lesson on Haute Horology as he was sporting a Vacheron Constantin . And not just any Vacheron, but an ultra-thin grail. The £110K Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin is one of the sleekest examples of the mastery within Vacheron Constantin today.

By Mike Christensen

By Cam Wolf

With its delightful blend of understated white gold 41.5mm case with a slim cuff-friendly 8.1mm thickness, this is top-tier Swiss with a twist. The Overseas range used to be the forgotten cousin in the race for integrated-bracelet stardom. And while the Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak have had their days of Christie’s and Phillips catalogue front page monopoly, a change is afoot. Vacheron Constantin’s superb alternative is catching up in the hard-to-get stakes, and Mr Cruise has taken sound advice. With his effortless Cannes look of sleek all-black (some say Armani) trousers and cotton jumper, the Vacheron stole the limelight with its scintillating blue dial.

What about Tom Cruise’s big-screen watches?

With the exception of epitomising car salesman-chic with a solid gold Rolex Day-Date in Rain Man , Tom’s astute on-screen choices of wristwear have been as understated as his off-screen persona. In Vanilla Sky , Tom’s choice was the small-cased pilot’s watch, the IWC Mark XV. But his fans will know that this was not nearly half as quirky as his off-beat Tudor Heritage Chrono in Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol from 2011. In the comedy action-romp Tropic Thunder we have a suspicion Cruise followed his own love for Panerai with a Luminor Marina. Or could it be that he was actually inspired by Sly himself, the man behind Panerai’s resurgence?

The most insane collection of rare Patek Philippe and Rolex watches ever

Top Gun: Maverick is the greatest blockbuster of the decade

Tom Cruise makes a case for the old school tux at the Top Gun: Maverick premiere

By Jeremy Freed

By Jack King

By Vivian Morelli

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By Oren Hartov

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Review: Tom Cruise Takes to the Skies, Literally, in Barrier-Breaking Sequel

Reteaming with 'Oblivion' director Joseph Kosinski, the perfectionist producer-star insists on flying his own planes in this stunning follow-up.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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The world is not the same place it was in 1986, when “Top Gun” ruled the box office. In Ronald Reagan, America had a movie star for a president, and producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson as its honorary ministers of propaganda. The same year that “Platoon” challenged the United States’ militaristic track record, “Top Gun” sold a thrilling if narrow-minded fantasy of American exceptionalism — of boys and their toys, of macho-man bromance and what it means to be the best. Three years after Tom Cruise flipped the bird to a Russian MiG fighter plane, the Berlin Wall fell. Two years later, the Soviet Union collapsed.

One could argue that our new, post-Cold War world didn’t need a “Top Gun” sequel. (Tom Cruise himself once insisted as much.) But one would be wrong to do so. Building on the three-parts-steel-to-one-part-corn equation that director Tony Scott so effectively set 36 years earlier, the new film more than merits its existence, mirroring Cruise’s character, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, in pushing the limits of what the machine could do — the machine in this case being cinema, which takes to the skies as no blockbuster has before.

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Hardly anything in “ Top Gun: Maverick ” will surprise you, except how well it does nearly all the things audiences want and expect it to do. Orchestrated by Joseph Kosinski — the dynamo who collaborated with Cruise on “Oblivion” and first worked with Miles Teller on 2017’s terrific, underseen firefighter drama “Only the Brave” — to appeal to veterans and neophytes alike, this high-performance follow-up sends Maverick back to the Topgun program, where he won the heart of Charlie (Kelly McGillis) and lost best friend Goose (Anthony Edwards).

Popular on Variety

Flashbacks notwithstanding, neither of those actors is in this movie, though the screenplay — a tag-team effort between Christopher McQuarrie (Cruise’s guy), Eric Warren Singer (Kosinski’s guy) and Ehren Kruger (yikes) — just about resurrects Goose via his now-adult son, Bradley Bradshaw (Teller), call sign “Rooster.” (“Phoenix” would be more apt, but that tag goes to Monica Barbaro, playing the lone woman in this testosterone pool.) The resemblance between Rooster and his late dad is uncanny, courtesy of a goofy moustache, some hair gel and a scene in which the young pilot pounds out “Great Balls of Fire” on the Hard Deck piano, the way Goose once did.

The Hard Deck is now operated by a character from Maverick’s past, Penny Benjamin ( Jennifer Connelly ), although she was only referenced in passing before: In “Top Gun,” Maverick is chewed out by his superior officer for having “a history of high-speed passes over five air control towers — and one admiral’s daughter!” Penny is that daughter: strong, independent and responsible for a daughter of her own (not Maverick’s, and too young to be his love interest). Cruise’s character has matured on the womanizing front, and the movie provides a shallow yet satisfying romantic subplot between him and Penny, which gives him something to come home for, since his daredevil tendencies otherwise give off strong kamikaze vibes.

In theory, Maverick should have graduated Topgun and gone back to teach what he’d learned to other Navy pilots. But after losing his flying partner, the character wound up being more of a loner — or so we learn, catching up with him all these years later, working as a test pilot and stuck at the rank of captain. Following a nostalgia-baiting aircraft carrier landing montage, wherein “Top Gun” theme “Danger Zone” blazes once again, Kosinski tracks Maverick to the Mojave Desert, still living up to his nickname when he takes a multimillion-dollar piece of government equipment — a supersonic, SR-71 Blackbird-style (fictional) Darkstar jet — out for a speed test.

Showing up as none-too-amused Navy brass, Ed Harris arrives just in time to eat a face full of sand as Maverick takes off at rocket speed, gently pushing the plane to Mach 10. (As a point of reference, the F-14s seen in “Top Gun” top out around Mach 2.) It’s a glorious scene, and one that melds everything Maverick once represented with Cruise’s own off-screen personality — which also explains all the self-driven motorcycle rides. The stunt nearly gets Maverick kicked out of the Navy. His only option: Go back to the training academy, where Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer) is now filling Tom Skerritt/Viper’s shoes.

The script incorporates Kilmer’s throat cancer, such that Iceman has just one scene, communicating mostly by keyboard — but it’s a smart one, paying off the way the dynamic between these two ex-rivals has evolved. Considering the importance Goose and Rooster play in this next mission, which involves a near-impossible airstrike on a uranium plant, it would’ve been nice to see Meg Ryan return as the widow/mom, but the rules are cruel when it comes to aging female actors. Meanwhile, we can talk about all the cosmetic ways Cruise and Kilmer’s faces have evolved, although there’s only one change that matters: Cruise has perfected that little jaw-clenching trick that signifies “This is a really tough call.”

He won’t get an Oscar for pantomiming such swallow-your-pride stoicism, though Cruise deserves one for everything else the role demanded of him: If the flying scenes here blow your mind, it’s because a great many of them are the real deal, putting audiences right there in the cockpit alongside a cast who learned to pilot for their parts. The idea here is that Maverick has been grounded, relegated to coaching a dozen top-of-their-class hotshots, though he takes to the skies right away, trumping all of these aces in a series of adrenaline-fueled drills. Not a one of these students is convincing as a Navy pilot, though their personalities win us over all the same (even Glen Powell’s alpha-male “Hangman,” who serves as this movie’s Iceman equivalent), and once can imagine future spinoffs involving any of these characters.

“Top Gun” has always been “The Tom Cruise Show,” and no one believes for a second that Maverick won’t maneuver his way into flying the climactic mission. But he can’t do it alone: The operation calls for perfectly coordinated teamwork among six pilots, recalling the group air battle that bonded Iceman and Maverick in the original movie.

These days, videogame-styled blockbusters rely so heavily on CGI that it’s thrilling to see the impact of gravity on actual human beings, pancaked to their chairs by multiple G-forces. Sophisticated movie magic makes their performances seamless with the exterior airborne shots, while the commitment to filming practically everything practically feels like the cutting-edge equivalent of Howard Hughes’ history-making “Hell’s Angels.” The result is the most immersive flight simulator audiences will have ever experienced, right down to the great Dolby roar of engines vibrating through their seats (while the score teases cues for Lady Gaga’s end-credits anthem “Hold My Hand”).

Early on, Ed Harris’ character warns Maverick and his team that “one day, they won’t need pilots at all,” by which he means, drone technology is not far from allowing the Navy to do all of its flying by remote control. Cinema seems to be moving in that same direction, replacing actors with digital puppets and real locations with greenscreen plates — but not if Tom Cruise has anything to do with it. Engineered to hit so many of the same pleasure points as the original, “Top Gun: Maverick” fulfills our desire to go really fast, really far above ground — what the earlier film unforgettably referred to as “the need for speed.”

Still, this buckle-up follow-up also demonstrates why we feel the need for movie stars. It goes well beyond Cruise’s rah-rah involvement in what amounts to a glorified U.S. military recruitment commercial (the 1986 film might have been as perfectly calibrated as a Swiss watch, but it wasn’t subtle about its GI Joe agenda). It’s the way we identify with the guy when he’s doing what most of us thought impossible. Turns out we need Maverick now more than ever.

Reviewed at AMC Century City 15 (Imax), May 10, 2022. In Cannes Film Festival (Out of Competition). MPA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 130 MIN.

• Production: A Paramount Pictures release of a Paramount Pictures, Skydance, Jerry Bruckheimer Films presentation of a Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer production. Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison. Executive producers: Tommy Harper, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Chad Oman, Mike Stenson.
• Crew: Director: Joseph Kosinski. Screenplay: Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie; story: Peter Craig, Justin Marks, based on characters created by Jim Cash & Jack Epps Jr. Camera: Claudio Miranda. Editor: Eddie Hamilton. Music: Lorne Balfe, Harold Faltermeyer, Hans Zimmer.
• With: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Charles Parnell, Bashir Salahuddin, Monica Barbaro, Jay Ellis, Danny Ramirez, Greg Tarzan Davis, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer.

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How to watch Top Gun: Maverick online: stream the Tom Cruise blockbuster from anywhere

Return to the danger zone

For the inimitably cool aviators, breathtaking flying sequences, immaculate uniforms, golden sunsets, chest-beating patriotism, unforgettable soundtrack and the most homoerotic volleyball scene in cinematic history, many thought that the original Top Gun motion picture couldn't be beaten but Maverick proved us wrong. The biggest film not only of 2022 but of Tom Cruise's entire career, here's how to watch Top Gun: Maverick online from anywhere – don't forget to use your 7-day free trial of Paramount Plus .

Premiere: Thursday, December 22 (US, UK, CA, AU)

Cast: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Jon Hamm

Director: Joseph Kosinski

FREE stream: Paramount Plus trial

Watch anywhere: try a 100% risk-free VPN trial

Three decades (!) after graduating from Top Gun, Maverick is going nowhere fast. The US Navy has no use for loose cannons, not even singularly gifted ones, but Maverick's old buddy Iceman, now an admiral, has one last job opportunity that may pique his interest.

Pete Mitchell is going back to school. A school seemingly filled with Maverick-sized egos that require breaking for a perilous US Navy mission. This elite group of next-generation Top Gun graduates includes Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, the son of Maverick's late former wingman Goose, who paid for his partner's machismo with his life. Whereas Maverick hasn't forgotten, Rooster hasn't forgiven, but for better or for worse, the fates of the warring pilots is intertwined.

Created hand in hand with the US Department of Defense and the US Navy, it's all killer and no filler, a classic Cruise action flick. Follow our guide below for how to watch Top Gun: Maverick online wherever you are.

How to watch Top Gun: Maverick FREE in the US without cable

Top Gun: Maverick will be available to stream on Paramount Plus at 12am PT / 3am ET on Thursday, December 22 in the US.

If you haven't got Paramount Plus, the great news is that new users can watch Top Gun: Maverick for FREE! A subscription to Paramount Plus costs just $4.99 a month after a  7-day FREE trial . 

Outside of the US? You can take the subscription services you pay for at home with you anywhere - all you’ll need is a reliable VPN .

How to watch Top Gun: Maverick from outside your country

Abroad for business or leisure but want to stream Top Gun: Maverick online? You might not be able to, due to annoying regional restrictions, if you happen to be in a country where Paramount Plus hasn't yet launched.

Luckily, there’s an easy solution. Downloading a  VPN  will allow you to watch Top Gun: Maverick on Paramount Plus no matter where you are. It's a simple bit of software that changes your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV just as if you were at home.

Use a VPN to watch Top Gun: Maverick from abroad

ExpressVPN - get the world's best VPN We've put all the major VPNs through their paces and we rate ExpressVPN as our top pick, thanks to its speed, ease of use and strong security features. It's also compatible with just about any streaming device out there, including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation, as well as Android and Apple mobiles.

Sign up for an annual plan now and get an extra 3 months absolutely FREE . And if you change your mind within the first 30 days, let them know and they'll give you your money back without a quibble.

- Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free for 30 days

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...

1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN

2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location.

3. Go to the broadcaster's stream - head to your home broadcaster's site or app and watch as if you were at home - so that's Paramount Plus for the US.

How to watch Top Gun: Maverick for FREE in Canada

It's more of the same in Canada, where Top Gun: Maverick is also exclusive to Paramount Plus , hitting the streaming service on Thursday, December 22 at 3am ET / 12am PT.

A subscription costs CA$5.99 per month, after a 7-day FREE Paramount Plus trial .

If you're abroad right now, you won't be able to use the streaming services you usually do, but download a VPN  and you’ll be free to watch your favorite shows wherever you are.

How to watch Top Gun: Maverick in the UK

Top Gun: Maverick will be available to watch on Paramount Plus UK from 8am GMT on Thursday, December 22.

A subscription costs £6.99 a month, or £69.90 if you want a yearly sub, although a one-week FREE trial is available to anyone who hasn’t signed-up before.

However, if you’re a Sky customer with Sky Cinema using a Sky Q, Sky Glass or Sky streaming device, Paramount Plus is available as a free addon service. For non-Sky customers, it can be purchased through other devices.

You can also access Paramount Plus through Apple, Google, Roku, and Samsung platforms, or as an add-on channel through Amazon Prime Video .

If you’re away from your home country, remember that you can still access your streaming service subscription from anywhere when you download a good VPN and follow our instructions above.

How to watch Top Gun: Maverick online in Australia

Action movie fans in Australia will be able to watch Top Gun: Maverick from 7pm AEDT on Thursday, December 22 via Paramount Plus .

A subscription to the streaming service costs AU$8.99 per month after a 7-day FREE trial .

As detailed above, if you’re abroad you’ll struggle to connect to any of the streaming services you usually use. The solution? Try using a VPN as per our guide above.

How can I watch Paramount Plus and what other shows are on it?

The Paramount Plus app is available through Apple TV, iPhone and iPad, Android TV, Android phone and tablet, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Portal TV, PlayStation 4, Samsung TV, Vizio TV, LG TV, Roku , Xbox One and Series X, and Xfinity Flex. 

You can also watch it through your favourite web browser at ParamountPlus.com .

You can watch on up to three devices simultaneously and create up to six separate profiles for family members. Those with a Premium subscription can download up to 25 shows or movies and watch them offline (in 4K where available) on a mobile device.

Paramount Plus also features new originals and is ideal for fans of all kinds of TV shows. It's home to 1923, Yellowstone, Picard, animated series Prodigy and Strange New Worlds, as well as hits like Kamp Koral, reality TV smash Survivor, and the Rugrats 2021 revival. There's also CBS' live sports action, including the NFL and Champions League (in the US), and it will also be the place to watch the Frasier reboot.

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Aatif is a freelance copywriter and journalist based in the UK. He’s written about technology, science and politics for publications including Gizmodo, The Independent, Trusted Reviews and Newsweek, but focuses on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: sport and penny-pinching.

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Top Gun: Maverick — awards, how to watch and everything we know about the Tom Cruise sequel

Top Gun: Maverick is soaring with movie fans. Here's everything you need to know.

More than 35 years after the original Top Gun , the Tom Cruise blockbuster has gotten a sequel in Top Gun: Maverick .

In the original, Top Gun (1986), a young Cruise stars as the hot-shot pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, as he and his co-pilot Goose (Anthony Edwards) take part in the Navy’s top school for elite fighter pilots. Maverick likes to push it to the limit, but that ends up getting him in trouble and his confidence gets shaken following a tragic accident. But the happy ending prevails and he saves the day and gets the girl.

Top Gun remains a fan-favorite to this day, thanks to numerous factors including a star-making turn from Tom Cruise, memorable supporting characters like Anthony Edwards' Goose and Val Kilmer's Iceman, fantastic '80s tunes like "Danger Zone" and "Take My Breath Away" and incredible aerial sequences. Talk about a sequel has been swirling for years and now its here.

Here is everything you need to know about Top Gun: Maverick .

How to watch Top Gun: Maverick

After being a box-office behemoth (it is the no. 1 movie at the 2022 global box office with $1.48 billion) movie fans can watch Top Gun: Maverick at home . It's available in most regions on Paramount Plus .

Here's how to watch Top Gun: Maverick right now.

Top Gun: Maverick awards and nominations

After dominating the boxoffice, Top Gun: Maverick hopes to dominate awards season too. Here are the nominations and awards that Top Gun: Maverick has earned to date:

Academy Awards

• Best Picture (nominee)
• Best Adapted Screenplay — Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie, Peter Craig, Justin Marks (nominees)
• Best Editing (nominee)
• Best Original Song — "Hold My Hand" (nominee)
• Best Sound (nominee)
• Best Visual Effects (nominee)

Golden Globes

• Best Picture: Drama (nominee)
• Best Song — "Hold My Hand" (nominee)

Critics Choice Awards

• Best Actor — Tom Cruise (nominee)
• Best Cinematography (nominee)

London Critics Circle Awards

• Film of the Year (nominee)

National Board of Review

• Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography — Claudio Miranda

New York Film Critics Circle

• Best Cinematographer — Claudio Miranda

American Film Institute

• AFI Movie of the Year

People's Choice Awards

• The Movie of 2022 (nominee)

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films

• Best Action/Adventure Film (winner)
• Best Actor — Tom Cruise (winner)
• Best Director — Joseph Kosinski (nominee)
• Best Editing  (nominee)
• Best Special Effects (nominee)

Top Gun: Maverick plot

Top Gun: Maverick takes place more than 30 years after the events of Top Gun . Maverick is now working as a test pilot and actively attempting to dodge the advancement in rank that would force him to stop flying.

However, his career ends up taking him back to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics School — otherwise known as TOP GUN — where he has to confront his past as he is charged with training a new squadron of fighter pilots.

How long is Top Gun: Maverick?

Top Gun: Maverick has a runtime of two hours and 10 minutes.

What is Top Gun: Maverick rated?

Top Gun: Maverick is rated "PG-13" for US audiences (parents required for anyone under 13) and "12A" for UK moviegoers (suitable for children 12 and over).

Top Gun: Maverick cast

Tom Cruise will be just shy of 60 when Top Gun: Maverick is released, but there is no way Hollywood was going to make Top Gun 2 and not have him back in the cockpit of a fighter jet. Maverick remains one of Cruise’s most iconic roles, so you just can’t have a Top Gun movie without the star reprising the character.

Cruise isn’t the only cast member returning from the original film. Maverick’s frenemy is back, as Val Kilmer will once again play Iceman. Anyone who has seen the documentary Val on Prime Video knows that Kilmer currently uses a voice box to speak after battling throat cancer. Despite his health concerns, Cruise was adamant that Kilmer would return for the sequel.

There will also be plenty of new faces in Top Gun: Maverick . Key to the plot is Miles Teller, who will be playing Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, the son of Maverick’s old co-pilot Goose. Other new members of the cast include Jennifer Connelly as Penny Benjamin , Jon Hamm as Cyclone, Glen Powell as Hangman, Monica Barbaro as Phoenix, Jay Ellis as Payback, Lewis Pullman as Bob, Charles Parnell Warlock, Bashir Salahuddin as Hondo and Ed Harris as Read Admiral Chester "Hammer" Cain.

Find out more about the Top Gun: Maverick cast right here .

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Top Gun: Maverick reviews — what critics said

Top Gun: Maverick is one of the best reviewed movies of the year. It was quickly labeled a "perfect summer blockbuster" and something that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Official reviews were just as glowing, including What to Watch's Top Gun: Maverick  review , which called the movie a "stratospheric sequel" and one that both pays tribute to the original but also surpasses it.

Top Gun: Maverick has a 96% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 78 on Metacritic .

Tom Cruise spoke with What to Watch sister publication Total Film about the movie in an issue earlier in 2022:

Top Gun: Maverick Royal Premiere

Straight from their Cannes screening, the stars headed to London for a Royal Film Premiere. Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly and more walked the red carpet alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Check out pictures from the Top Gun: Maverick UK premiere .

Top Gun: Maverick global premiere

The Top Gun: Maverick global premiere took place on May 4 in San Diego, with the red carpet being held on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum. Not only that, Tom Cruise arrived to the premiere flying a helicopter and landing on the flight deck. Take a look at some of the pictures from the global premiere and quotes from the stars.

Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack — Kenny Loggins "Danger Zone"

Almost as important as which of the cast members would return, fans want to know if Top Gun 's iconic theme song, "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins will be part of Top Gun 2 .  

The good news is the answer is yes. Kenny Loggins confirmed on Rob Lowe's podcast, Literally with Rob Lowe , that "Danger Zone" would play in Top Gun: Maverick . So listen to those engines road and get ready to ride back into the danger zone when the movie comes to theaters.

Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack — Lady Gaga "Hold My Hand"

The first new song we've heard about for the soundtrack is from Lady Gaga who wrote a brand new song for Top Gun: Maverick , called "Hold My Hand." We expect this to be the Top Gun 2 equivalent to the original movie's love ballad, Berlin's "Take My Breath Away."

Check out the official music video for "Hold My Hand" right here:

Here's what Lady Gaga had to say about writing the song for Top Gun: Maverick .

When I wrote this song for Top Gun: Maverick, I didn’t even realize the multiple layers it spanned across the film’s heart, my own psyche, and the nature of the world we’ve been living in. I’ve been working on it for years, perfecting it, trying to make it ours. pic.twitter.com/1GReWGW8Ql April 27, 2022

Top Gun: Maverick trailer

Check out all of the trailers released for Top Gun: Maverick directly below:

Paramount has also released a feature that looks at the training that Tom Cruise and the other actors did so that the flight sequences they do in the movie would look and feel authentic. Check it out below:

Another feature details the F18s, the incredible aircrafts that the actors (along with the Naval pilots assisting them) actually flew in for the movie.

Top Gun: Maverick posters

Check out the movie posters for Top Gun: Maverick :

How to watch Top Gun

If you've never seen Top Gun and want to watch it before seeing Top Gun: Maverick or if you've seen the 1986 movie 100 times and just want to watch it again, you can do so right now on Prime Video or Paramount Plus .

More on Top Gun: Maverick

• Tom Cruise sends heartfelt message to Top Gun: Maverick fans
• Does Val Kilmer talk in Top Gun: Maverick ?
• James Corden is the new Goose in Top Gun-inspired Late Late Show clip
• James Corden gets Top Gun call sign

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The latest updates, reviews and unmissable series to watch and more!

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca , Moulin Rouge! , Silence of the Lambs , Children of Men , One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars . On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd .

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How to Watch ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ on Streaming

Time to kick the tires and light the fires

Kick the tires and light the fires – “Top Gun 2” has arrived. After years of development and then release date delays, “Top Gun: Maverick” is finally out — and after an extended theatrical run, it’s finally available to stream on Dec. 22 — fulfilling a long-promised dream from Tom Cruise who was determined to reprise the character that catapulted him to superstardom. The late Tony Scott sadly is not in the director’s chair this time around, but Cruise is working with some familiar faces – his “Oblivion” filmmaker Joseph Kosinski directs, while his “Mission: Impossible” and “Jack Reacher” cohort Christopher McQuarrie is co-writer and producer.

The sequel is not just one of the highest-grossing films of the year but of all time , but what exactly are the viewing options? Here’s how to watch “Top Gun: Maverick”

Is “Top Gun: Maverick” in Theaters or Streaming?

“Top Gun: Maverick” was released exclusively in theaters – including Imax theaters – on May 27. It’s still playing in some theaters months after release, but as of Aug. 23 “Top Gun: Maverick” is now available to rent or own on Digital with over 110 minutes of bonus content .

“Top Gun: Maverick” will also be released on 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on Nov. 1.

Where Is “Top Gun: Maverick” Streaming?

“Maverick” is streaming on Paramount+ as of Dec. 22, just in time for Christmas!

What Is “Top Gun: Maverick” About?

The sequel picks up in real-time, decades after the events of the first film in which Cruise’s Maverick is enlisted to train a new group of young pilots. Ever the hot shot, Maverick still ruffles plenty of feathers, and rubs shoulders with some familiar faces from back in the day.

Who’s in the “Top Gun: Maverick” Cast?

Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer return as Maverick and Iceman, while Jennifer Connelly plays an old flame from Maverick’s past.

The ensemble also includes Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Monica Barbaro, Charles Parnell, Jay Ellis, Danny Ramirez, Greg Tarzan Davis and Manny Jacinto.

Where Is “Top Gun” Streaming?

You can also stream the original “Top Gun” on Paramount+ .

Watch the “Top Gun: Maverick” Trailer

Watch CBS News

Glen Powell reveals advice "Top Gun: Maverick" co-star Tom Cruise gave him

By Jennifer Earl

Updated on: June 7, 2024 / 10:31 AM EDT / CBS News

Glen Powell has seen the headlines and commentary that he's "having a moment" right now, but he doesn't let words affect him.

Powell, the co-writer and star of the new film "Hit Man," told "CBS Mornings" co-anchor Gayle King that he plans to focus on taking more steps forward in his career and explore creative outlets.

"I've had the benefit of watching other guys in my position have the same moment," he told King. "And sometimes it lasts, sometimes it doesn't. There's no certainties in this town. And for me, I hope there's no end game. I hope I've not made it because I just want to keep doing this job for as long as I'm alive. That's my plan"

The 35-year-old actor said he started to gain national recognition after playing cocky pilot Lt. Jake "Hangman" Seresin in the 2022 hit "Top Gun: Maverick," starring alongside Tom Cruise. 

Cruise, who has been working in the film industry for decades, even offered him some words of wisdom. 

"Cruise gave me that advice. He said, 'When things pop-off, it's just gonna get very loud," Powell recalled. "Nothing else has changed, but you determine how loud you need all that noise to be. You can turn it up or you can turn it down, but it's up to you. And I think that's the big thing that I've realized right now."

But Powell admits his newfound fame can be overwhelming. 

"It's just louder than I expected it to be," he added. "But it's also completely manageable."

Powell has found a foolproof way to turn down the volume: retreating to his hometown of Austin, Texas, where he can visit his mom, dad and two sisters.

"You don't ever know how far this journey's going to take you, but I knew that they were going to be with me, win or lose. And that's been amazing because right now we're getting to win," he said.

Powell's new film "Hit Man," which centers around a professor who moonlights as a fake hitman and falls for a client, will be  released on Netflix in select countries  on Friday.

"We always conceptualize this as the beginning of a beautiful family, the beginning of a beautiful love story – you have to go on that ride 'cause if you really believe in love, sometimes love takes really unexpected, weird turns," Powell said of the film, co-written and directed by Richard Linklater.

See more of Powell's interview with "CBS Mornings" co-anchor Gayle King the video player above.

• Entertainment

Jennifer Earl is the Vice President of Growth & Engagement at CBS News and Stations. Jennifer has previously written for outlets including The Daily Herald, The Gazette, NBC News, Newsday, Fox News and more.

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Screen Rant

"this is boring": how tom cruise changed one romantic top gun: maverick scene revealed.

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Why Top Gun: Maverick Recast Penny's Daughter

Netflix’s trending $386 million jennifer lopez movie features a 17-year reunion for her 92% rt hit, john wick's new spinoff movie is a good sign that keanu reeves' character will stay dead.

• Tom Cruise thought the original version of Maverick and Penny's sailing scene in Top Gun: Maverick was " boring ."
• The scene was reshot on choppier waters to add drama and to more effectively establish Penny as a character.
• It's unclear if Penny will return in Top Gun 3 to continue the romance storyline with Maverick.

Top Gun: Maverick star Jennifer Connelly reveals the scene in the movie that had to be reshot because Tom Cruise deemed it " boring ." Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the sequel to 1986's Top Gun sees Cruise return as hotshot pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, this time to train new pilots for a high-stakes mission. Although the Top Gun: Maverick reviews raved about the movie's intense aerial sequences, the romance between Maverick and Penny (Connelly) was a crucial part of the story that helped give Maverick more emotional depth.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair , Connelly reveals that Penny and Maverick's sailboat scene in Top Gun: Maverick wasn't originally working for Cruise .

According to Connelly, Cruise decided that the scene was lacking in excitement and that it could be reshot to more effectively establish Penny as a character. Check out Connelly's full comment below:

"Originally, we shot a sailing scene in San Diego. It was a beautiful, beautiful boat. We saw dolphins. It was great. We did the scene, we’re sitting out there, and Tom goes, ‘No, this is boring.’ I was like, ‘Oh.’ [Laughs] He was like, ‘It’s not fast enough. It’s not cool enough. It’s not fast enough. I want Penny to be really strong’ and he was right. "We went to San Francisco, where it’s super windy, and it was an entirely different experience. We’re like getting soaked, and the wind. It’s so much better. And, like I was saying, we don’t have that much time with those characters to establish who they are. So a gesture like that, okay she’s sailing a boat and it’s calm and lovely versus she’s sailing this boat, and it’s this really like high-octane adrenaline experience. I think it was a great choice."

Will Penny & Maverick's Romance Storyline Continue In Top Gun 3?

There are several directions the franchise could go in.

Top Gun: Maverick was a major success both critically and commercially in 2022. It's no surprise, then, that Top Gun 3 is confirmed to be in development, with both Kosinski and Cruise expected to return. It's been reported that both Miles Teller and Glen Powell are also being eyed to return as Rooster and Hangman, respectively.

Franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed to Screen Rant that a strong story idea is in place for Top Gun 3 , but Cruise's busy schedule might mean the film doesn't happen anytime soon.

Unfortunately, it's unclear at this early stage in development whether any other members of the Top Gun: Maverick cast will return, and that includes Connelly. The first film ends with Maverick and Penny taking a ride in Maverick's P-51 Mustang, seemingly now as a couple, but a sequel may not continue this happy ending. To add drama and conflict to the story, it's likely that Maverick and Penny's relationship won't be smooth sailing if it does return to be a focus of the next movie .

Top Gun: Maverick initially cast somebody different to play Penny's daughter, Amelia, but the actress was replaced before filming began.

It's also possible, however, that Top Gun 3 won't include Penny at all. Maverick and Penny could still be happily together in the world of the film, but the story could instead focus on fleshing out other characters' relationships. Many questions remain about the future of the franchise, but Cruise was evidently interested in making Maverick and Penny's relationship as compelling as possible in Top Gun: Maverick .

Source: Vanity Fair

Top Gun: Maverick

*Availability in US

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Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 original film starring Tom Cruise as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a top-tier pilot in the Navy. Thirty years after the original film's events, Maverick is asked to head up a section of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things become personal when the program includes the son of Maverick's late friend, forcing him to confront his past.

CinemaBlend

Tom Cruise Basically Got 'Top Gun: Maverick' Greenlit By Picking Up The Phone And Telling The Studio He Was Doing It

Posted: June 8, 2024 | Last updated: June 8, 2024

It’s become more common nowadays for popular movies to score sequels/follow-ups decades later. In fact, the most commercially successful movie of 2022 falls into this “legacyquel” category, with "Top Gun: Maverick" soaring over $1 billion worldwide on top of earning critical acclaim. So how did Tom Cruise arrange for his return to the role Pete “Maverick” Mitchell? According to producer Jerry Bruckheimer, it was as simple as calling Paramount Pictures and telling the studio he was doing it. I had the pleasure of speaking with Jerry Bruckheimer on behalf of the "Top Gun: Maverick" digital rollout. After noting how the sequel had been in development since 2010 and hit a setback when Tony Scott, the original "Top Gun’s" director who’d been slated to reprise his helming duties, died in 2012, I asked Bruckheimer at what point he and the other creative minds behind "Maverick" decided that it was still worth moving forward with the movie.

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‘This Is Boring’: Top Gun: Maverick’s Jennifer Connelly Reveals Scene Tom Cruise Wanted Reshot, And I Think It Was A Smart Move

An important scene for Jennifer Connelly's character in Top Gun: Maverick was reshot at Tom Cruise's insistence.

Top Gun : Maverick was the long-awaited return of one of the biggest blockbusters in movie history, and the box office did not disappoint . The film was full of incredible aerial action , but not all the action was in the skies. One particular scene in the film with Jennifer Connelly was reshot at Cruise’s insistence to make it more exciting, and it makes a lot of sense.

Jennifer Connelly plays Penny in the Top Gun: Maverick cast , a former love of Tom Cruise ’s Pete Mitchell who reconnects with the pilot when he returns as an instructor at the Top Gun school. Their scenes in the film are certainly not the most exciting. They’re the romantic subplot. However, Connelly tells Vanity Fair that the first version of one scene with them, where the characters go sailing together, was killed off by Cruise because it was “boring.” Connelly explained…

Originally, we shot a sailing scene in San Diego. It was a beautiful, beautiful boat. We saw dolphins. It was great. We did the scene, we’re sitting out there, and Tom goes, ‘No, this is boring.’ I was like, ‘Oh.’ [Laughs] He was like, ‘It’s not fast enough. It’s not cool enough. It’s not fast enough. I want Penny to be like, really strong’ and he was right.

The sailing scene has Connelly’s character Penny in control of the boat as she and Maverick spend a day on the water. However, Cruise didn’t like the fact that the seas were calm. He felt it didn’t show enough that Penny was a capable sailor. To that end, the scene changed locations and was reshot in a place with rougher seas, to show Penny as stronger and to make for a more interesting scene. She continued…

We went to San Francisco, where it’s super windy, and it was an entirely different experience. We’re like getting soaked, and the wind. It’s so much better. And, like I was saying, we don’t have that much time with those characters to establish who they are. So a gesture like that, she’s sailing a boat and it’s calm and lovely versus she’s sailing this boat, and it’s this really like high-octane adrenaline experience. I think it was a great choice.

Director Joe Kowalski says the sailing scene was the hardest one in Top Gun: Maverick to shoot , and that it was shot three times, not just two, to get it right. 

As Jennifer Connelly points out, there isn’t a massive amount of screentime dedicated to Penny or her relationship with Maverick, so every second counts. This could have been a sweet romantic scene with two people spending a day on the water, but they wanted to convey more information, and for that, they needed an entirely different version of the scene.

This was the right call. Penny is presented as a stronger character by making this relatively simple change, and as an audience member, the scene is just more interesting than it would be otherwise. It shows that Penny is more capable on the sea than Maverick. Despite being in the Navy, he's not comfortable on the water. 

With Top Gun 3 currently in development , and Jennifer Connelly interested in returning , perhaps we'll see more of her character's sailing skills in the future.  

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CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.

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Glen Powell said he almost went broke waiting for 'Top Gun: Maverick' to debut because Tom Cruise didn't want it on a streamer. Then it made $1.5 billion.

• Glen Powell said he was "waiting for my life to change" when Tom Cruise delayed releasing "Maverick."
• Powell said this led to his bank account "depleting" during the pandemic.
• He also had success with a movie premiering in theaters instead of on a streamer with "Anyone but You."

Glen Powell said his bank account was "depleting" as he waited for "Top Gun: Maverick" to arrive in theaters after Tom Cruise delayed the sequel's premiere during the pandemic.

The actor played Lt. Jake "Hangman" Seresin alongside Cruise, Val Kilmer, Miles Teller, and Jon Hamm in 2022's "Maverick," and his performance as the arrogant pilot won audiences over.

In an interview published in The Hollywood Reporter last week, Powell said he was having financial difficulties after Cruise refused to have "Maverick" released on a streaming service. During the pandemic, most studios delayed filming and releasing their movies or put them on streamers while theaters were closed.

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"I'd never made any significant amount of money on a movie, including 'Top Gun,' and I was depleting a bank account to a point where my accountant was like, 'This pandemic cannot last much longer,'" Powell said.

Cruise had faith in the film, which is why he wanted to ensure its theatrical release. But it was difficult for Powell at the time.

"Tom was already Tom; I was waiting for my life to change," he said.

It seems it was worth the wait. According to Box Office Mojo , "Top Gun: Maverick" raked in $1.495 billion worldwide.

Powell saw similar success with a theatrical versus streaming release with the recent R-rated rom-com "Anyone but You," which features Sydney Sweeney .

"We had offers from every streamer, and it was guaranteed [paydays] and a much bigger budget, but Syd and I really have a very similar worldview about Hollywood," Powell said.

"We said, 'If we make this on a streamer, it won't have any cultural impact,'" he said. "And everyone was saying rom-coms were dead theatrically so we knew we could get hosed, but we thought, 'Let's take the gamble,' because what if we could bring them back?"

That gamble paid off because the sleeper hit made $219 million (according to Box Office Mojo) against an estimated $25 million budget , which was likely helped by Powell's and Sweeney's star power and their embrace of rumors that they were secretly dating in real life.

Powell said: "Even if it's me taking my clothes off on the side of a fricking cliff, it's like, you got to do some shit in here that makes noise."

Watch: What 12 movies from 2022 looked like behind the scenes

• Main content

Tom Cruise Pranked Glen Powell with a Fake Helicopter Crash, Then Took Him to Film School

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• Tom Cruise and Glen Powell forged a close friendship during Top Gun: Maverick production.
• Powell was pranked by Cruise during a helicopter flight over London for reshoots.
• Cruise made it up to Powell with a 6-hour film school video on filmmaking and flying.

During production on Top Gun: Maverick , Glen Powell and Tom Cruise quickly became close friends, and Powell has recently revealed some of his best memories from the shoot. Powell originally auditioned for the role of Rooster, but was beat out by Miles Teller. However, Cruise, who served as a producer on the movie, liked his audition so much, he brought him in to play Hangman — Maverick 's equivalent of Iceman (played by Val Kilmer in the original Top Gun ).

Glen Powell recently spoke to British GQ for their newest cover story, and divulged some of his best memories working on the movie, including the time Cruise pranked him and made him think he was going to die. Powell said the pair were flying over London during reshoots at Pinewood Studios, and Cruise thought it would be funny to toy with his co-star. Pranks are nothing new on film sets. When productions last for months, the cast and crew tend to find creative ways to stay entertained.

However, Cruise's definition of a prank may have been a bit too much. "Tom goes 'oh no, oh no,' and he starts dropping the helicopter over London," Powell said. Judging from what he said next, Powell had stoically accepted his fate, but was more concerned with what the headlines would read following the accident. Powell continued, joking:

"Am I about to be the unnamed guy that dies with Tom in a smoking hole in the middle of London?"

Glen Powell Watched a 6-Hour Film School Video Made By Tom Cruise

Top gun: maverick.

Tom Cruise returns as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, and keeps pushing the envelope as a seasoned aviator for the Navy in this sequel to the original Top Gun film.

While Tom Cruise's 'prank' may have gone too far, the actor definitely made it up to Powell after the incident. Cruise reportedly asked Powell to attend a mystery screening at a theater in Los Angeles. When Powell arrived, the theater was empty, and the actor was treated to a private screening of a six-hour-long 'film school' made by Cruise. The video contained everything from the basics of camera work to (in true Tom Cruise fashion), how to fly a plane. Powell said, "It was like he put together this entire flight school. So he would literally go, 'Ok, this is what a plane is. Here’s how things fly. Here’s how air pressure works.'"

As well as practical filmmaking, and flying, advice, the video also contained an important piece of career advice. Cruise told Powell that the key to a blockbuster hit is a story that can "telegraph universal emotions" and "hit on anxieties that everyone can relate to." Sadly, Cruise reportedly has no plans to release the video to the public.

Hit Man Star Reveals How Steamy Bath Scene Resulted in Painful Rash

Adria Arjona said her intimate scenes with Glen Powell were overshadowed by props mistake.

There seems to be no escaping Glen Powell on the big screen as the actor has found tremendous success in the years following Top Gun: Maverick . The actor helped revitalize the romantic comedy in 2023 with the box office hit Anyone But You (co-starring Sydney Sweeney). This year, Glen Powell is turning his attention back to the action genre. He currently stars in Richard Linklater's romantic action comedy Hit Man , which is currently screening in select theaters before releasing on Netflix on June 7. Powell is quickly following that up with another leading role in the natural disaster film Twisters , alongside Normal People 's Daisy Edgar-Jones.

Top Gun: Maverick is currently streaming on Prime Video.

• Glen Powell