Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” has been cleared for takeoff with a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
As Variety predicted earlier this month, the “Top Gun” sequel will screen during the French fest, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.
Described by Variety’s Elsa Keslassy as the “planetary blockbuster Thierry Fremaux has been dreaming of since 2020,” the Cannes director first aimed to get the movie secured for an out-of-competition slot before COVID-19 delays upended the film release calendar.
Cruise’s long-awaited return to the cockpit as hotshot pilot Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell was likewise delayed by the pandemic, which pushed the movie’s planned release date several times. The film is now set to hit theaters on May 27, while the Cannes Film Festival runs from May 17 to May 28. The full lineup of selections will be revealed in the third week of April.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the high-flying movie also stars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Monica Barbaro, Ed Harris and Val Kilmer, returning as Iceman. “Top Gun: Maverick’s” official world premiere is planned for San Diego and will reportedly take place ahead of the Cannes screening.
Other notable titles predicted to be in the running for a premiere spot in the lineup include Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” George Miller’s “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future” and Disney-Pixar’s “Lightyear.”
The Hollywood Reporter was first to confirm “Top Gun: Maverick’s” Croisette connection. Paramount and Skydance had no comment on the reports.