The first trailer to Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the 1986 movie Top Gun, was released at the Comic-Con last weekend. Tom Cruise, who starred in both the original film and this follow-up, surprised the audience when he unexpectedly popped up at the Paramount panel for Terminator: Dark Fate to show the audience what to expect for his upcoming movie.
The Top Gun: Maverick trailer doesn't reveal much of the plot, but it did revive some familiar feelings for the fans who have loved the original movie. The teaser had some moments that were shot-for-shot similar to the old Top Gun, and it helped that the actor also didn't age or change as much in the way he looked as Capt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, as some fans have observed, per Nerdist.
However, keen observers also noted that the actor's jacket in Top Gun: Maverick no longer have the patches representing the Taiwanese and Japanese flags. According to CNBC, this might be because the follow-up movie is partly produced by Tencent Pictures, a production company from China, and Paramount may also be pushing to appeal to the lucrative Chinese box office industry.
Per Screen Rant, removing the patches could guarantee that Top Gun: Maverick will pass Chinese censorship, ensuring that the movie will be shown in the country once it is ready for international release. By partnering with Tencent Pictures, Paramount is also making a good business decision to aspire for the bigger pie of the international box office market.
"No matter the film or subject matter it's imperative that filmmakers and studios today understand the global marketplace and how consumers in various international territories around the world will respond or relate to visual cues, storylines or situations in high-profile releases, analyst Paul Dergarabedian told CNBC.
Meanwhile, the trailer also hinted of a death scene. A few shots show Maverick slamming the coffin with anger and fans speculate that the person inside it might be Val Kilmer's character Vice Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, per Pop Culture.
Iceman was originally Maverick's nemesis in the original Top Gun. However, by the end of the film, the two forged a friendship after they lost one of their own (Lt. Nick "Goose" Bradshaw played by Anthony Edwards).
Kilmer was confirmed to be working on Top Gun: Maverick in the summer of 2018. However, since he wasn't seen in the new trailer, fans assumed that his character would die in this movie.
Top Gun: Maverick follows 34 years after Top Gun. The movie will also star Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Ed Harris, Glen Powell, Jean Louisa Kelly, Leis Pullman, and Manny Jacinto. It is set for a June 2020 release.
