Actor Tom Cruise marked the 40th anniversary of “Top Gun,” the 1986 film, as “Top Gun: Maverick” returned to theatres for one week.
Cruise shared the update on Instagram on Wednesday, May 13. He said he felt excited to celebrate the milestone with fans.
The first “Top Gun” came out in 1986. Tony Scott directed the film from a script by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.
Cruise played LT Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a US Navy aviator assigned to Top Gun. The cast also included Val Kilmer as LT Tom “Iceman” Kazansky and Kelly McGillis as Charlotte.
The film gave Cruise one of his breakthrough roles. Its Oscar-winning soundtrack also became one of Hollywood’s best-known film albums.
Read: Top Gun 3 Confirmed With Tom Cruise Returning As Maverick
Cruise returned as Maverick in “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022. The sequel followed Maverick as he trained a new group of pilots, including Miles Teller’s Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw.
A third “Top Gun” film is also in development, with Cruise set to reprise his role.