Glen Powell Joining Tom Cruise In 'Top Gun' Sequel After Losing Initial Role to Miles Teller

The rising star is joining the hotly-anticipated sequel after all!

Glen Powell just got that rare second chance to join a dream project.

The 29-year-old actor has been tapped to join Tom Cruise in the Top Gun sequel, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The decision arrives a month after he was passed over for a prominent role in the film, which ended up going to Miles Teller.

The role that was in hot contention was Gooses’s son (played by the Anthony Edwards in the original). As fans know, Goose perishes, providing the film much of its dramatic heft. Everyone from Nicholas Hoult to Dylan O’Brien was auditioning for the role before it was given to Teller. But, afterward at least, Powell was able to find a way to stand out in the talented crowd. When it was announced that Teller would be portraying Goose’s son, Powell took to Twitter to share a fun reaction, hinting at his love for the franchise and its star.

“I’m taking down all the Tom Cruise posters in my bedroom,” he wrote alongside a retweet of the news. “Maybe, I’ll leave one. Two for symmetry. Okay, the posters are staying.”

There’s no telling what got him this new role, the details of which are not available, but enthusiasm definitely still counts for something in the auditioning process.

This casting news arrives almost a week after it was announced that Jennifer Connelly had also been cast in the film. It was confirmed by Cruise while walking the red carpet for Mission: Impossible Fallout in Washington, D.C.

“Look, she’s a great actress, obviously. ...When you see the film, you’ll see why she’s perfect for it,” the 56-year-old actor told ET. “She has such a very talented, very vibrant, and, you know, see we’re just going to have a great cast. Gonna be a lot of fun.”

The sequel, titled Top Gun: Maverick, will address modern dogfighting among fighter jets as drones became more prevalent in warfare. Egos flaring between hotshot pilots will presumably also be involved.
 

And Cruise’s Maverick isn’t the only character from the 1986 classic that’s returning for another film. Val Kilmer has signed on to breath new life into Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, Maverick’s rival in the skies.

Top Gun: Maverick will be taking flight on July 12, 2019.

Get more details on the upcoming sequel in the clip below.

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