Tom Cruiseis about to feel the need for speed with a new protege in the cockpit.Varietyreports thatOnly the BravestarMiles Tellerhas been recruited to join gate cast of Paramount and Skydance’sTopGunsequel,Top Gun: Maverick. Teller will play Maverick’s new protege, who also happens to be the son of Goose (Anthony Edwards), Maverick’s co-pilot and BFF in the 1986 action pic.
Last week, we learned that testing for the role was underway, andTeller was among the frontrunnersalongsideNicholas Hoult(X-Men: Apocalypse) andGlen Powell, who recently earned big buzz for his work in the Netflix hitSet It Up. As Adam Chitwood noted when he wrote up that news, Teller went into that scenario with a bit of a leg-up since he recently starred in directorJoseph Kosinski’sOnly the Brave.
Top Gun: Maverickwill also reunite Kosinski with Cruise, after the duo previously collaborated on the 2013 big-budget sci-fi spectacleOblivion.Val Kilmerwill also return for the sequel as Tom Kazanski, aka Iceman. Maverick is said to explore the role of a pilot in the generation of drone technology and the end of the era of dogfighting.
The cast is still coming together, but it will be interesting to see if they can (or intend to) lureMeg Ryanback into the fold. The actress played Goose’s partner inTop Gun, but has been selective about her on-screen appearances in the decades since her 80s and 90s heyday as America’s Pixie-Cut Sweetheart.
Teller is best known for his BAFTA-nominated role inDamien Chazelle’sWhiplashand his recurring role as Peter in theDivergentfranchise. He recently appeared in in the boxing dramaBleed for Thisand the military dramaThank You For Your Service, and will next be seen inNicholas Winding Refn’s Amazon original seriesToo Old to Die Young, which is expected to premiere in 2019.
