Is anyone really surprised by this news? While we wait to see what writer / director Christopher McQuarrie will do next from behind the camera, he has once again been called in to help a project that just needs a touch up here and there. This isn’t something new for McQuarrie. Before taking the helm on the last two Mission: Impossible movies – Rogue Nation and Fallout – he was originally called in to help clean up the script for Ghost Protocol when it ran into some production trouble. Although this latest call isn’t for a “troubling reason,” he has been given a ring because, well, he’s just a genius script doctor.

He and action star Tom Cruise have worked on a whopping 10 movies together, which is exactly why Cruise recommended bringing McQuarrie in to tighten up a few key sequences for his currently in-production, way-too-long overdue Top Gun 2, which is being directed by Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion). Cruise and McQuarrie originally met on the set of Valkyrie, which Cruise starred in and McQuarrie wrote. They then collaborated on the highly-underrated Jack Reacher, the Mission: Impossible movies, he wrote The Tourist for Cruise before he left, and also pulled his writing magic on other projects like Edge of Tomorrow and the bound-to-bomb The Mummy. As I asked earlier, is anyone really surprised McQuarrie has been brought on board?

Cruise himself announced the news in an interview in the upcoming issue of Empire Magazine, with other sources later confirming that McQuarrie has been brought on board the script and script only. This movie has been in the development process for what seems like decades, meaning that the majority of the heavy lifting has already been finished. As was the case with his other projects like Ghost Protocol and Edge of Tomorrow, the script doctor has been brought onto set to just tighten up what is more than likely key sequences.

This is pretty awesome news. I have become a huge fan of McQuarrie very quickly thanks to his work on the most recent Mission: Impossible movies. I also think Jack Reacher is one of the most underrated action movies of the last number of years, and that was before I even knew McQuarrie directed it. He doesn’t just capture real grounded action, but he knows how to develop characters within that story. With the decades overdue Top Gun sequel now finally coming, them taking their time and bringing in one of the best freelance writers in the business is an incredibly smart move. While he may not be credited in the end, if the movie ends up kicking all kinds of ass, McQuarrie will no doubt have some credit in my book.

Kosinski has assembled quite a cast for this return to the air with Top Gun: Maverick. Not only is Iceman himself, Val Kilmer, returning alongside Cruise, but the new cast members include Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Glenn Powell, Lewis Pullman, Monica Barbaro, Manny Jacinto and Thomasin Mackenzie. There’s no doubt that the majority of the story will focus on Maverick now being a Top Gun instructor and Miles Teller who is playing Goose’s son, but I’m excited to see what kind of characters are thought up for the remaining cast. Filming has been going for a while now, and while it originally had a release date for next summer, it’s been pushed to 2020 to allow more time. With a sequel that’s been wanted for over two decades, that’s not a bad idea.

What do you think of this news? Is McQuarrie the guy you want to see clean up a script? How do you like his movies and those he works on? Are you looking forward to a Top Gun sequel? Do you even care for it? Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick will fly into theaters on June 26th, 2020.