Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer both will reprise their roles in "Top Gun 2". Michael Kovac / Getty Images for Advanced Imaging Society / EuropaNewswire / Gado / Getty Images
People was told by Jerry Bruckheimer that Tom Cruise demanded Val Kilmer to appear in "Top Gun 2".
According to Cruise, he was "very insistent" that a sequel could not happen without Kilmer.
Kilmer's son said that Kilmer is eager to reprise the role in the sequel.
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People heard from Jerry Bruckheimer who is a producer for the next "Top Gun" sequel that Tom Cruise was the driving force behind Kilmer's return to the film.
The classic 1986 film about the elite Fighter Weapons School of the United States Navy featured Kilmer as U.S. Navy Lieutenant Tom "Iceman", Kazansky's rival to Cruise's Lt. Pete Mitchell. Kilmer announced in 2018 that he would be appearing in "Top Gun: Maverick", but soon after, the announcement on Facebook was removed.
People was told by Bruckheimer that Cruise wanted Kilmer to be in the movie.
He said, "We must have Val, we must have him back." The producer stated that we must have him in the movie. He was the driving force. Although we all wanted him, Tom insisted that Val must be there if he makes another "Top Gun".
Val Kilmer portrays Iceman in "Top Gun." Paramount
Bruckheimer said, "He [Kilmer] is such a fine actor and he's such an excellent individual. We had a great time at the first one, and we wanted to get some of the gang together again.
Producer of "Top Gun", he also stated that the reunion between the "Top Gun", stars was "very emotionally" for them. He said, "It was an extremely emotional experience for us all. Although it took us a while to get there, we finally did.
Jack Kilmer, the actor’s son, told People that Kilmer is excited for the sequel.
Jack spoke of his father, saying that they honor Iceman's legacy and that Kilmer was so excited by it.
Continue the story
Kilmer's voice was permanently damaged after he had to have a tracheostomy done to treat throat cancer. Sonantic, a British company, has recreated his voice using AI. According to The Independent, AI will also be used to recreate his voice in the sequel to "Top Gun".
November 19th will see the release of "Top Gun: Maverick". This sequel will see Maverick, the star of "Mission Impossible", return to theaters 30 years later. He is training new pilots for a risky mission.
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