The Iceman Cometh: Val Kilmer Will Reprise Role For Top Gun 2

Tom Cruise won’t be the only 80s action star donning the overalls of the titular Naval Fighter Weapons School once more, now that Val Kilmer has announced that he’ll be reprising his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky for Top Gun 2, providing a healthy bout of airborne competition for Maverick once more.

Confirming the news via Facebook, Kilmer initially caused some confusion by referencing Gene Hackman and director Francis Ford Coppola, leading many to infer that the two talents would somehow be involved in Top Gun 2. Alas, that’s not the case, and Kilmer quickly set the record straight.

Beyond the misunderstanding, we know that Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer are a lock for the long-in-devleopment sequel, and the latter hinted at the potential set-up not so long ago. According to the long-time producer, Top Gun 2 will explore the usage of drone warfare in a modern setting, raising hard-pressing ethical questions and where fighter pilots fit into the equation in warfare that is increasingly reliant on unmanned machines. It’s certainly an interesting pitch on paper, and we’re hoping that the sequel sides more with these themes than the camp nature of the original that suited its 80s release.

“The concept is, basically, are the pilots obsolete because of drones? [Tom Cruise as Maverick] is going to show them that they’re not obsolete. They’re here to stay.”

Last we reported, The Jungle Book‘s Justin Marks provided a treatment of the sequel’s script, working from an original draft by Peter Craig (The Town). No word yet on a production start date for Top Gun 2, though we’ll keep you posted as we learn more.