Top Gun: Maverick Trailer Talk – Tom Cruise Returns As Aviator Turned Coach

With the Mission Impossible franchise still going strong for Tom Cruise – expanding the Top Gun series with his star power at the helm, would seem a strong bet, even if it is a few decades too late. The latest (and final) Top Gun: Maverick trailer is finally here, with a confirmed release date to boot.

The action-packed final trailer dives straight into the action, with an F/A-18 Super Hornet screaming across the desert. Some character beats follow to assemble the Top Gun recruits, bring back Maverick (Cruise), throw in a nod to Iceman (Val Kilmer) and introduce Goose's son Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (played by Miles Teller).

From there on, Top Gun: Maverick's trailer is all-in on the Super Hornets and high-octane, high-altitude action. We see the naval birds do everything from low flying barrel rolls through broken bridges to cobra manoeuvres to deflect incoming missiles with chaff/flares.

What's the mission though? Except for a throwaway line, "We're going into combat on a level no living pilot's seen," there's not much on offer. The mysterious sixth-gen looking fighter, 'Darkstar' returns for a brief moment, and we see a Russian Su-57 (fifth-gen) fighter flying past a shocked Maverick. Makes us wonder what director Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy, Oblivion) and his team really have in store for us.

A lot of the action looks practical so far – and that has this writer excited for May 27, when Maverick returns to the skies. Till then, it's time to add Kenny Loggins back on the Spotify playlist.