ⓘ Details

Movie TitleTop Gun: Maverick

Release DateMay 27, 2022 in the United States

TaglineFeel the need... The need for speed.

Runtime130 minutes / 2 hours 10 minutes

DirectorJoseph Kosinski

Screenplay Written ByEhren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie

Based OnCharacters created by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.

Is It a Remake?No. It is a sequel to Top Gun (1986).

BudgetApproximately $177 million

Box OfficeApprox. $721.99 million domestic / Approx. $1.503 billion worldwide

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👥 Main Cast

Tom CruiseCaptain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell

Miles TellerLieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw

Jennifer ConnellyPenny Benjamin

Jon HammVice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson

Glen PowellLieutenant Jake “Hangman” Seresin

Ed HarrisRear Admiral Chester “Hammer” Cain

Val KilmerAdmiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky

Monica BarbaroLieutenant Natasha “Phoenix” Trace

Lewis PullmanLieutenant Robert “Bob” Floyd

Charles ParnellRear Admiral Solomon “Warlock” Bates

Bashir SalahuddinChief Warrant Officer Bernie “Hondo” Coleman

Jay EllisLieutenant Reuben “Payback” Fitch

Danny RamirezLieutenant Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia

Greg Tarzan DavisLieutenant Javy “Coyote” Machado

Manny JacintoLieutenant Billy “Fritz” Avalone

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🏆 Awards

⭐ Academy Award Winner — Best Sound

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Picture

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Adapted Screenplay

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Film Editing

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Original Song, “Hold My Hand”

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Visual Effects

⭐ Golden Globe Nominee — Best Motion Picture, Drama

⭐ Golden Globe Nominee — Best Original Song, “Hold My Hand”

⭐ BAFTA Nominee — Best Film, Best Direction, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound, and Best Special Visual Effects

⭐ National Board of Review Winner — Best Film

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📖 Short Plot Summary

More than thirty years after his TOPGUN glory days, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is still pushing limits as a Navy test pilot and still avoiding promotion. When he is called back to train an elite group of graduates for a nearly impossible strike mission, Maverick is forced to confront his past through Rooster, the son of his late wingman Goose. As the mission deadline closes in, Maverick has to prove that experience, instinct, and trust still matter in a world ready to move on without him.

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❝ Key Quotes

“Talk to me, Goose.” — Maverick

“It’s not the plane. It’s the pilot.” — Maverick

“Don’t think. Just do.” — Maverick

“The end is inevitable, Maverick.” — Rear Admiral Cain

“You can be my wingman anytime.” — Iceman

“Good morning, aviators. This is your captain speaking.” — Maverick

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💡 Trivia

Director

Top Gun: Maverick was directed by Joseph Kosinski.
Kosinski had previously worked with Tom Cruise on Oblivion.
The film emphasizes practical aerial photography, putting actors in real aircraft to capture physical strain, cockpit movement, and authentic flight reactions.
Rather than simply remaking the original, Kosinski frames the sequel as a story about aging, grief, mentorship, and whether Maverick still belongs in the sky.

Cast / Casting

Tom Cruise returned as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, more than three decades after the original Top Gun.
Miles Teller plays Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of Maverick’s late best friend Goose.
Val Kilmer returned as Iceman, giving the sequel one of its strongest emotional links to the 1986 film.
Glen Powell originally auditioned for Rooster before being cast as Hangman.
Monica Barbaro, Lewis Pullman, Jay Ellis, Danny Ramirez, and Greg Tarzan Davis round out the new generation of TOPGUN pilots.

Soundtrack / Score

The film’s music is credited to Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer, and Lorne Balfe.
Lady Gaga performed the original song “Hold My Hand,” which received an Academy Award nomination.
OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” became strongly associated with the beach football scene.
The score blends the original film’s musical identity with a more modern blockbuster sound.

Location

The story is centered around TOPGUN training and Navy aviation, with major sequences tied to Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego.
Filming locations included California, Nevada, Washington state, and other U.S. military aviation locations.
The snowy canyon mission geography gives the final act a very different visual identity from the sunny beach-and-carrier nostalgia of the original.
The Hard Deck bar was created for the movie as a spiritual successor to the original film’s Navy bar scenes.

Behind-The-Scenes

The screenplay was written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie from a story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks.
The film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, and David Ellison.
Release was delayed multiple times before finally opening widely in May 2022.
Box Office Mojo lists a domestic opening weekend of $126,707,459 and a worldwide total above $1.5 billion.
The Numbers lists the production budget at $177 million and notes that the worldwide box office was more than eight times the production budget.

Nostalgia

The movie brings back the opening carrier-deck rhythm, the “Danger Zone” energy, the motorcycle imagery, the bar singalong, and Maverick’s haunted connection to Goose.
Rooster’s piano performance of “Great Balls of Fire” directly echoes Goose from the original film.
Iceman’s return gives Maverick’s arc the emotional weight that turns the movie from a simple legacy sequel into a real character continuation.
The film became a major theatrical event and one of the biggest box-office success stories of 2022.

Easter Eggs

The opening sequence closely mirrors the original film’s aircraft-carrier montage and use of Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone.”
Rooster’s mustache, Hawaiian shirt, and piano moment visually connect him to Goose.
Penny Benjamin, mentioned in the original Top Gun, appears here as Maverick’s romantic interest.
The “Talk to me, Goose” line returns as Maverick’s private ritual before high-risk flying.
The final act borrows the emotional structure of old-school mission movies while still delivering the Top Gun-style need-for-speed payoff.

Misc.

Top Gun: Maverick is rated PG-13.
Box Office Mojo lists the running time at 2 hours 10 minutes and the domestic gross at approximately $722 million.
The Numbers lists the production budget at $177 million and worldwide box office at more than $1.48 billion in its summary metrics, while Box Office Mojo’s all-release total is above $1.5 billion.
The film won the Academy Award for Best Sound and was nominated for Best Picture.
Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists Top Gun: Maverick as Episode 68, with Don rating it 4.25, Ken rating it 4.50, Jon rating it 3.75, and an overall rating of 4.17.

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