‘Top Gun 2’ Release Date Still Unknown; Production Revs Up With ‘Jungle Book’ Writer On Flight Deck

The "Top Gun 2" release date is still unknown as of this time, but the good news is production is apparently back on track as "Jungle Book" writer Justin Marks was tapped to continue where Peter Craig ("The Town") left off.

According to The Hollywood Reporter the constellations seem to be lining up for the "Top Gun" sequel after Jerry Bruckheimer arrived at Paramount from Disney.

The sequel is being produced by Paramount and Skydance productions.

While the report didn't specify the "Top Gun 2" release date, it said that David Ellison and Dana Goldberg, both of Skydance, are producing, while Chad Oman of Jerry Bruckheimer Films is also on board to executive produce.

Tom Cruise, who played Maverick in the original movie, "is slated to return as ace pilot Maverick in a story that aims to show the relevance of good old fashioned pilots in today's high-tech, drone-centric war environment," the THR said.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer earlier told Movies With Butter that when they made the original movie back in 1986, there were no drones and the formulaic US vs. Russia was still popular. But the development of unmanned drones begs the question, "Are pilots still relevant?"

"Well, I think he can think on his feet where the drones can't so that always comes in handy," he said of Tom Cruise's Maverick.

While he didn't really reveal the "Top Gun 2" release date, he said that Maverick is "an iconic character in a very exciting world that is evolving."

"The character and the evolution of aviation, there's a great story there. We didn't have drones [in 1986]. That's a big difference," he said.

The "Top Gun 2" release date was initially announced to come out in 2012 but the film was scrapped with the untimely death of original director Tony Scott, who committed suicide that year.