Val Kilmer Confirms He’s Suiting up for ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Val Kilmer’s Iceman is coming back to the Top Gun franchise.

Kilmer officially confirmed the news on Friday, according to the The Blast.

“I’m officially in the sequel to TOPGUN,” Kilmer said, adding “[I’m] looking forward to working with Tom, Joe (Kosisnski) and Jerry (Bruckheimer), all such unique pros.”

News of the casting was initially reported by The Hollywood Reporter back in early June, though Kilmer had opted to remain silent about the project until now.

Tom Cruise will also be back for the sequel, titled Top Gun: Maverick. He promoted the first day of filming on May 31 with a photo of him back in a jumpsuit and looking towards a fighter jet.

In the original film Cruise and Kilmer’s characters, Maverick and Iceman, start off as rivals at the Top Gun school at the NAS Miramar, but by the end they share a mutual respect for the other.

The two will be joined by Miles Teller as Bradley Bradshaw, the son of Nick “Goose” Bradshaw who died in the original film.

It’s unclear how much Kilmer will be featured in the film as he recently had a two-year battle with throat cancer that has noticeably changed the Batman: Forever star’s voice.

Kilmer admitted in a December 2017 interview that the battle with cancer has greatly changed his outlook on acting and life.

“I was too serious,” Kilmer told The Hollywood Reporter. “I’d get upset when things like Oscars and recognition failed to come my way. I would like to have more Oscars than anybody. Meryl Streep must feel pretty good, you know? It must feel nice to know that everyone loves her. It’s about being loved.”

While it was his first role, the original Top Gun turned out to be Kilmer’s big break into Hollywood in 1986. He went on to star in such films as Willow, The Doors, True Romance, Tombstone, Batman Forever and Heat as her career took off through the mid-90s.

Even though the cancer kept him out of films for a couple of years, Kilmer has starred in numerous recent projects include Cinema Twain, Song to Song, The Snowman and The Super. He currently has two other films besides Top Gun: Maverick that are currently in production — 1st Born and Riptide.

Top Gun: Maverick hits theaters on July 12, 2019.