“Top Gun 2”: Return of Iceman was suggested by Val Kilmer himself, reveals director

When the announcement of “Top Gun: Maverick” was made, many wondered who would return for the sequel alongside Tom Cruise. And after some time, the director Joseph Kosinsky confirmed that Val Kilmer would be present in the cast reprising Ice Man, making fans of “Running Aces” (1986) even more nostalgic. But, for those who don’t know, the suggestion was made by the actor himself.

To USA Today, Kosinsky said that returning as a high-ranking admiral was the idea of Kilmerand of course, the whole team approved. valuewho was also present at the interview, explained why he thought of the character that way, saying it would be nice to see Ice Man shining in a career he truly loved.

“It’s good to see Iceman achieving such success in the career he loves. It’s a good arc for the character. It was really exciting to get back into that with Tom Cruise.”declared the star.

In “Top Gun: Maverick”, Ice Man is now the Admiral Kazanskywho spent his career in the Navy caring for the rebel Maverick (cruise) and is nearing the end of his life due to an unspecified illness. In the story, he takes it upon himself to bring his fellow aviation schoolmate back to Top Gun, but this time as an instructor for a class of professionals, on a mission that might not get them back home.

With scenes full of emotion between Kilmer and cruisethe director did not fail to speak of the deep connection they established on and off screen, and that many of them were driven by real emotions.

“It’s a longstanding friendship. Both were there early on in their careers with the original ‘Top Gun’. I’m sure there was a bit of a rivalry back then, as were the characters.”it says Kosinski. “But for both of them to be back in this movie, it was a very special moment. There was a lot of joy.”he concluded.

The cast of “Top Gun 2” also has Miles Teller (“The Offer”), Glen Powell (“Stars Beyond Time”), Jennifer Connelly (“Tomorrow Express”), Jon Hamm (“On the Run”), Ed Harris (“The Lost Daughter”) and Lewis Pullman (“The Strangers: Prey at Night”).

“Top Gun: Maverick” is now in theaters, and marked not only the career of Tom Cruise as its best debut ever, but also Paramount Pictures’ box office record.

In Brazil, the film even surpassed the great “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, which remained in the lead for three weeks. While on the international stage, it became the first feature of 2022 to achieve an A+ (maximum) rating in CinemaScore.