Tom Cruise feels the need, the need... to share some news with Top Gun fans: production has begun on the long-awaited sequel.

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The actor tweeted a picture on day one of filming, showing his iconic character Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell all suited up and looking towards his plane.

The image is emblazoned with the words "FEEL THE NEED" (for speed, obviously.)

We first met Maverick in 1986, when Cruise starred as a young naval aviator given a chance to train at the Navy's Fighter Weapons School.

More than three decades later, the sequel – titled Top Gun: Maverick – will be set in the present day and will deal with very modern warfare.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the movie will follow fighter pilots as they reckon with military drone technology that is making their skills and old style of flying obsolete.

The original film was directed by Tony Scott, who died in 2012. Taking over the reins will be Joseph Kosinksy, who also helped revive eighties classic Tron with the 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy.

Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the first Top Gun, will return to co-produce the sequel. Composer Harold Faltermeyer, who created the movie's iconic synth score, is also back.

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Top Gun: Maverick is scheduled for release in July 2019


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