The Good Place’s Manny Jacinto Joins Cast of Top Gun Sequel

Deadline reports that Manny Jacinto (The Good Place,  Bad Times at the El Royale) has been cast in the upcoming Top Gun sequel. He will be playing Fritz, a pilot.

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Jacinto will be working alongside Tom Cruise (The Mummy, American Made), Jennifer Connelly (Alita: Battle Angel, Noah), Val Kilmer (The Snowman, Palo Alto),  Ed Harris (mother!, Westworld), Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Bad Times at the El Royale), Monica Barbaro (Chicago Justice, The Good Cop), Miles Teller (Bleed For This, Thank You For Your Service) and Glen Powell (Hidden Figures, Set It Up).

Top Gun: Maverick is said to be set in a world of drone technology and fifth generation fighters along with exploring the end of the era of dogfighting.

Joseph Kosinski, who previously directed Cruise in Oblivion, will helm the sequel, with Peter Craig, Justin Marks and Eric Warren Singer penning the script. Although the title Top Gun: Maverick floated around briefly, the film is currently without an official title.

A follow-up to Tony Scott’s 1986 hit has been in the works for quite some time, with Tom Cruise interested in reprising his role as United States Naval Aviator Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer previously outlined that the film will deal with the rise of unmanned drones and pilots becoming a thing of the past.

The original Top Gun was directed by Tony Scott and also starred Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards and Tom Skerritt. The film won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Take My Breath Away” performed by Berlin. In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Paramount Pictures has set a Top Gun sequel release date for June 26, 2020.