SYDNEY: Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise revealed Wednesday he plans a sequel to the cult action film Top Gun, with filming set to begin next year.
Rumors have swirled for years that he would revisit the 1986 movie that made him a household name, and Cruise finally spoke out while in Australia to promote his latest flick “The Mummy.”
Asked by a Channel Seven breakfast TV host about whether a second installment of the action drama was in the cards, he replied: “Yes, it’s true.”
“I’m going to start filming it probably in the next year.
“It’s happening, it’s definitely happening.”
The original Top Gun, which also starred Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis and Tim Robbins, received mixed reviews but was a huge commercial hit.
It was the top grossing film stateside in 1986, raking in $356.8 million globally.
Directed by Tony Scott, Cruise played hotshot US Navy pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who has a dangerous and reckless flying style.
He struggles to balance life, responsibility and a love affair while competing at the Navy’s fighter-weapons school.
The blockbuster was based on a real training program that was known as Topgun and based at San Diego’s former Naval Air Station Miramar.
The film catapulted Cruise to the ranks of Hollywood’s elite and has since become something of a cult classic.
The studly cast, catchy pop soundtrack — Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” won an Academy Award for best original song — and high-powered aerial sequences both entertained moviegoers and fueled interest in the military.
Tom Cruise says Top Gun 2 in the works
Tom Cruise says Top Gun 2 in the works
6 planets will parade across the night sky at the end of February
NEW YORK: Six planets are linking up in the sky at the end of February, and most will be visible to the naked eye.
It’s what’s known as a planetary parade, which happens when multiple planets appear to line up in the sky at once. The planets aren’t in a straight line, but are close together on one side of the sun.
Skygazers can usually spot two or three planets after sunset, according to NASA. Hangouts of four or five that can be glimpsed with the naked eye are less common and occur every few years. Last year featured lineups of six and all seven planets.
When will they be visible?
On Saturday, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye if clear skies allow. Uranus and Neptune can only be spotted with binoculars and telescopes.
What time is optimal for viewing?
Go outside about an hour after sunset and venture away from tall buildings and trees that will block the view. Look to the western sky and spot Mercury, Venus and Saturn close to the horizon. Jupiter will be higher up, along with Uranus and Neptune.
How to know if you’ve spied a member of the parade?
“If it’s twinkling, it’s a star. If it is not twinkling, it’s a planet,” said planetary scientist Sara Mazrouei with Humber Polytechnic in Canada.
The parade should be visible over the weekend and in the days after. Eventually, Mercury will bow out and dip below the horizon.
At least one bright planet is visible on most nights, according to NASA.
Glimpsing many in the sky at once is a fun way to connect with astronomers of centuries’ past, said planetary scientist Emily Elizondo with Michigan State University.
Ancient astronomers used to make sense of the universe “just by looking up at the stars and the planets,” Elizondo said, “which is something that we can do today.”
