The movie was assigned a theatrical release date of Jul. 12, 2019 last year, but unfortunately for eager fans, they’ll have to wait quite a while longer to see Maverick take to the skies once again
Screen Rant reports that Top Gun: Maverick – the highly anticipated sequel to 1986’s classic/action drama starring Tom Cruise as a U.S. Naval Aviator – has been delayed a year to summer 2020.
The movie was assigned a theatrical release date of Jul. 12, 2019 last year, but unfortunately for eager fans, they’ll have to wait quite a while longer to see Cruise’s titular character take to the skies once again. According to Deadline, Paramount has delayed the sequel nearly an entire year, assigning it a new release date of Jun. 26, 2020.
While Paramount hasn’t provided an official reason for the delay, Deadline’s sources say that the added production time will enable the filmmakers to properly coordinate and design the many breathtaking aerial sequences planned to be part of the sequel. Considering how well-remembered Top Gun’s flight scenes are today, it’s no surprise that those involved with Maverick intend for the sequel to up the ante in terms of aerial artistry, especially with how much special effects have advanced since 1986.
It’s true that release date changes during production can sometimes indicate a lack of faith in a project by the studio, but that doesn’t at all appear to be the case here, so Top Gun fans can rest easy. The fact that Paramount opted to move Top Gun: Maverick from one date right in the middle of the competitive summer blockbuster season to another suggests that the studio has no worries about Cruise’s return to the “Danger Zone” being able to pose a formidable challenge to whatever other tentpoles end up securing a summer 2020 release. When it comes to the sequel’s theatrical debut though, Paramount clearly doesn’t feel the need for speed.
As we have recently reported Top Gun: Maverick will likely feature the Navy’s new Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters alongside older Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.
Last month in fact, a film crew from Paramount Pictures was aboard aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) the same time the Navy began launching F-35C jets off the ship interchangeably with F/A-18E/F Super Hornets as an integrated air wing.
Tom Cruise teased the start of filming on the long-awaited Top Gun sequel on May 31, 2018 with a tweet featuring an image of an older Capt. Pete Mitchell standing in a flight suit with his famous HGU-33 helmet (that wore to fly his F-14A Tomcat) in hand.
The movie starring Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer is looking to cast the son of Maverick’s Radar Intercept Officer (RIO), Goose (played by Anthony Edwards in the original). Top Gun: Maverick will also see Kenny Loggins re-recording ‘Danger Zone’ for the movie.

This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F/A-18F Super Hornet VFA-11 Red Rippers, AB101 / 166634 / 2015
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