With the upcoming Top Gun sequel is starting to take off, a new group of the Navy's elite fighter pilots are starting to fall in line. Along with Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer returning as Maverick and Iceman respectively in Top Gun: Maverick, there are plenty of new faces joining them. The newest recruit to be cast is The Good Place's Manny Jacinto, who will be playing a pilot named Fritz in the sequel. The 31-year-old actor is best known as playing the silly Jason Mendoza on The Good Place, a failed EDM DJ often posing as a Taiwanese monk in the comedy show that recently premiered its third season. Jacinto joins a star-studded cast of Top Gun: Maverick which will continue the iconic movie of the '80s.
According to Deadline, Manny Jacinto will join the Top Gun ensemble cast also including Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell and Monica Barbaro. Many of the details surrounding Top Gun: Maverick have yet to be disclosed, but some of the other casting specifics give us a small indication of the direction of the film. Teller has been cast as Goose's son and will be Maverick's new protégé -- however the characters have been rumored to have a rocky relationship as well. Connelly will play the female lead, a single mother who runs the local bar near the Navy base, and possibly a new love interest for Maverick.
Considering Tom Cruise is still a sustainable action star who recently led his sixth Mission: Impossible film and the title of the sequel, the film will focus on fighter pilot, 30 some years later with some new faces along for the ride. When the 1986 film was released, it was the highest grossing film of the year and was a cultural phenomenon namely for its hit Oscar- winning soundtrack. It was one of Cruise's first leading roles that propelled him to celebrity status and arguably still the most iconic role he's played to this day.
While Top Gun: Maverick was originally supposed to be released this summer, the film was recently delayed a full year and is now set to be released on June 26, 2020. However, the sequel has recently already started filming in California as of late September. Considering the upcoming 2019 summer season, including Spider-Man: Far From Home, Disney's live-action The Lion King and Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the sequel would have joined a completely packed line-up of releases.
Manny Jacinto is an exciting and fresh-faced addition to Top Gun: Maverick and we can't wait to see the actor play a role in his most high-profile film yet. Until then you can see Jacinto in The Good Place on NBC and alongside his future Top Gun costar, Jon Hamm, in Bad Times at the El Royale coming to theaters on October 12.
