Tom Cruise arrives by helicopter for 'Top Gun: Maverick' world premiere

The Hollywood star reprises his role that was first made famous in 1986's 'Top Gun'

Tom Cruise arrived to the world premiere in style via a N547SA airbus helicopter emblazoned with his name and the 'Top Gun: Maverick' logo. Frazer Harrison / Getty Images / AFP

The world premiere of 'Top Gun: Maverick' was held aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, California. AFP

Jennifer Connelly attends the world premiere. Frazer Harrison / Getty Images / AFP

Fans watch as Tom Cruise arrives on a helicopter before attending the world premiere of 'Top Gun: Maverick' on the USS Midway in San Diego, California. EPA

Tom Cruise, left, and Miles Teller at the world premiere of 'Top Gun: Maverick'. AFP

Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly at the world premiere of 'Top Gun: Maverick'. EPA

Monica Barbaro at the event. Frazer Harrison / Getty Images/ AFP

Jon Hamm and girlfriend Anna Osceola at the world premiere of 'Top Gun: Maverick'. EPA

Miles Teller at the event. AFP

Jennifer Connelly in a gold gown at the world premiere of 'Top Gun: Maverick'. EPA

Tom Cruise reprises his role from the first 'Top Gun' film. EPA

Musician Kenny Loggins attends the world premiere of 'Top Gun: Maverick'. AFP

Rachel McAdams arrives in a black ensemble with a knee-high split. Frazer Harrison / Getty Images / AFP

From left: Actors Lewis Pullman, Tom Cruise, Miles Teller and Charles Parnell. AFP

Actors Tom Cruise, left, Miles Teller and his wife Keleigh Sperry. AFP

Manny Jacinto, right, and Dianne Doan arrive. Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP)

Director Joseph Kosinski, right, and Kristin Kosinski arrive at the world premiere of 'Top Gun: Maverick'. Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP

Glen Powell at the world premiere. Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP

Jerry Bruckheimer, centre, Linda Bruckheimer, left, and Alexandra Balahoutis arrive. Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP

US professional dancer Derek Hough attends the world premiere of 'Top Gun: Maverick'. EPA

The world premiere of 'Top Gun: Maverick' took place aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, California on May 4, 2022. AFP

Actor Tom Cruise landed in style, arriving by helicopter at the world premiere of the highly-anticipated film Top Gun: Maverick at the USS Midway Museum on Wednesday in San Diego, California.

The film, a sequel to 1986’s Top Gun, which starred Cruise and Val Kilmer, originally began shooting in 2018, but faced several delays in its release date mostly owing to the pandemic.

Cruise, who reprises his role as fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, arrived via a N547SA airbus helicopter emblazoned with his name and the Top Gun: Maverick logo.

He was joined on the red carpet by fellow stars Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Paul Bettany, Jon Hamm and Monica Barbaro. Also in attendance were the film’s director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Musician Kenny Loggins, whose song Danger Zone from the 1986 film was an instant hit, was also at the premiere.

The anticipated sequel had its official premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and will be released in cinemas on May 26 in the UAE and May 27 in the US.

The film finds Cruise’s Maverick still working as one of the US navy’s top pilots, despite his advancing age, and desperately fighting the promotion that would ground him, and which his superiors are equally desperate to bestow upon him.

When young pilot Lt Bradley Bradshaw (Teller), son of Maverick’s former wingman Nick “Goose” Bradshaw comes on the scene, Maverick is forced to face the ghosts of his past.

Last week, Lady Gaga also revealed her her involvement in the soundtrack for the film. The singer-songwriter announced her new song would be called Hold My Hand, which was released on Tuesday.

“When I wrote this song for Top Gun: Maverick, I didn’t even realise the multiple layers it spanned across the film’s heart, my own psyche, and the nature of the world we’ve been living in. I’ve been working on it for years, perfecting it, trying to make it ours,” Lady Gaga wrote on Instagram.

“I wanted to make music into a song where we share our deep need to both be understood and try to understand each other — a longing to be close when we feel so far away and an ability to celebrate life’s heroes.”