Before entering into production in 2018, Top Gun: Maverick is getting a new writer and is still on track for its 2019 release date, despite Tom Cruise’s recent injury.


While filming Mission Impossible 6 in London, Cruise, who prides himself on doing his own stunts, injured himself while jumping from a building, breaking his right angle. The injury caused production to shut down, resulting in reports that it could potentially delay the release of the film, as well as Top Gun: Maverick, which Cruise was expected to film next. Mission Impossible 6 director Christopher McQuarrie remains optimistic that the injury will have limited impact on the film’s release date, however, this did not necessarily allay the concerns of fans about the status of the long-awaited sequel to Top Gun.

German website FilmStarts reports that Top Gun: Maverick producer Jerry Bruckheimer doesn’t believe the injury will delay the release of the sequel, which is still on schedule to begin filming either in January or February of 2018. It was also revealed that American Hustle and Only the Brave writer Eric Warren Singer is currently working on the script. The script was originally written by Justin Marks, who penned Disney’s live-action remake of The Jungle Book. Singer was likely brought in for a rewrite before production starts.


The sequel to Top Gun is something that fans have been anticipating for decades. According to Bruckheimer, there’s been an interest in developing a sequel for over 30 years. Certain setbacks have delayed the film, but in June of 2014 fans received confirmation that the movie was actually moving forward with the news that Marks was writing the script. While promoting The Mummy, Cruise revealed in May that he would indeed be reprising the role of Maverick in the sequel, much to the delight of fans. In June, Cruise revealed the film’s title and gave fans a tease of what to expect. Joseph Kosinski is set to direct; he previously worked with Cruise in the 2013 sci-fi/action film Oblivion.


What fans know about Top Gun: Maverick is that in the spirit of its predecessor, it’s a “competition film” that will feature many elements from the 1986 movie, including aviators and jets. Since the original movie received worldwide praise for its acting, aerial stunts, storyline, and action sequences, on top of being credited as the highest-grossing film of 1986, expectations are sure to be high for Top Gun: Maverick.