When a sequel to Top Gun was announced many years ago, one of the first to say he was involved was Val Kilmer. But was that really true? The film struggled to get going for so long, it’s hard to be sure what was going on through most of it. But one thing we know for sure, Tom Cruise was key to making sure Kilmer got to suit up as “Iceman” once more.
Speaking with People, producer Jerry Bruckheimer spoke about how Cruise was instrumental in Kilmer returning for Top Gun: Maverick. Does that mean we’ll get a new volleyball scene? Um, probably not with these guys and their advanced ages.
“He said, ‘We have to have Val, we have to have him back. We have to have him in the film,’” Bruckheimer said. “And he was the driving force. We all wanted him, but Tom was really adamant that if he’s going to make another ‘Top Gun,’ Val had to be in it.”
While everyone is eager to see Cruise back in the cockpit as Maverick, those who saw the recent Val Kilmer documentary Val will have an altogether different emotional reaction. Kilmer has been going through a lot, battling personal demons in the past and most recently a fight with throat cancer. To have him back for Top Gun: Maverick feels right, and at the right time, too. Personally, I can’t imagine the film without him.
Top Gun: Maverick opens November 19th.
