Top Gun is one of those movies, if it’s on, I’ll watch it. It’s irresistible. Peak Tom Cruise, 1980’s homoeroticism, Cold War tough-guy action—this movie has everything, as Stefon would say. A sequel has been teased for years, and today it’s finally happening. Tom Cruise’s Twitter account posted a photo of Cruise in the flight suit, with Maverick’s helmet, and “#Day1”. So, it’s happening. It’s really happening. They are actually making Top Gun 2. I LOVE Top Gun. I’m not sure we need a Top Gun 2. 

But of course it will be huge. Tom Cruise has lost box office power recently, as has everyone, but Maverick is, without question, his most iconic role. And Top Gun remains very popular. And, well, look at the state of the US right now. On a good day, we love our military to a disturbing degree. But we’re not in good days right now. We’re in “a powerful organization run by white billionaires is forcing their predominately black employees to suppress their right to demonstrate because a peaceful protest about police brutality was hijacked by the ‘support the troops’ crowd” days. People love to support the troops as long as it doesn’t mean knowing anything about the state of actual troops’ lives, or their families’ lives, or doing anything to meaningfully support serving military, veterans, or military families. “Support the troops” is a bumper sticker and a political bludgeon, and going to see Top Gun 2 will be a GREAT way to support the troops. (If you would like to get involved, though, you can check out organizations like Wounded Warrior Project, Fisher House, or Operation Gratitude.) 

Today, #Day1, we have no idea what Top Gun 2 is about. It’s maybe titled Top Gun: Maverick, it’s being directed by Joseph Kosinski, with whom Cruise worked on Oblivion, and Tom Cruise is the only confirmed star. I bet it will be something like everything is crap and only Maverick, legend of the skies, can save the day. Unfortunately, destroying Lainey’s dreams, Taylor Lautner does not appear to be playing a young upstart who has to learn the ropes from Maverick. But we will get a chance to play another round of my favorite game: How Old Does This Movie Think Tom Cruise Is. Will Top Gun 2 acknowledge that thirty years have passed? Or will it exist in the same time loop as The Mummy, a movie that thinks Tom Cruise is the same age as Jake Johnson? And will original Top Gun stars like Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, and Kelly McGillis come back? Well, I guess we do know one thing: Goose won’t be back.