Tom Cruise is donning his “G-1” military flight jacket again for the sequel to the classic hit, Top Gun, 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick. But it has been a while since the actor has graced the seat of a cockpit flying for TOPGUN.
Of course, Tom Cruise is known for not relying on CGI for most of his blockbusters, opting to do some of the most dangerous stunts himself, sometimes leading to injury. While there were trained Navy pilots actually piloting the jets in Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise was still flying around in an F-18 Super Hornet. While that seems impressive for any actor to do, Top Gun: Maverick takes place decades after the first film, so just how old is Tom Cruise that he still feels comfortable flying around in a jet?
How old was Tom Cruise when he was in Top Gun and how old is he now?
The first Top Gun was directed by Tony Scott and released in 1986. The film followed Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a hotshot United States Naval Aviator — played by Tom Cruise — as he was sent to attend TOPGUN, the Naval Fighter Weapons School. Alongside him was Lieutenant Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, played by Anthony Edwards, who died halfway through the film, as well as his rival, Lieutenant Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, played by Val Kilmer.
Tom Cruise was a young man in the film, as he was born in 1962, he was only twenty-four years old when Top Gun was released. Top Gun: Maverick, directed by Joseph Kosinski, continues the story of Maverick, who is now a captain, as he is picked to instruct a new team of pilots for a dangerous mission. Among these expert pilots is Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, who is the son of Goose, Maverick’s best friend who died in the first film.
Tom Cruise’s age in Top Gun: Maverick is interesting because, as the film is about to hit theaters, the actor is currently 59 years old. But the film was originally supposed to be released in 2019, and it got delayed for various reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic. If the film came out when it was originally scheduled for release, Cruise would have been 57 years old.
It just shows you that no matter his age, Tom Cruise still has his “need for speed”, which is something that all audience members should appreciate. If he survives this film maybe we could see another Top Gun movie, although maybe not with the same wait between films as Cruise would be 94 if they waited another 35 years.
Go see Tom Cruise fly in the danger zone, as Top Gun: Maverick is in movie theaters on May 27, 2022.