Top Gun: Maverick release date pushed back due to coronavirus

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell might feel the need for speed, but Paramount is hitting the brakes on its Top Gun sequel plan.

The studio has decided to push back its planned release of Top Gun: Maverick due to the novel coronavirus, EW has confirmed.

The Tom Cruise film was supposed to hit theaters June 24, 2020.

But with most cinema chains across the nation closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and many around the world under lockdown, Paramount has decided the action sequel is unlikely to perform as hoped -- even if theaters were somehow reopened by the film's original date.

The new Top Gun: Maverick release date is Dec. 23, 2020.

In addition, the studio has announced the horror sequel A Quiet Place Part II – which was previously pushed back from this spring – is now planned for Sept. 4, 2020.

The moves follow a slew of tentpole films being pushed back, including Black Widow, Wonder Woman 1984, F9, In the Heights, Mulan, No Time To Die, The New Mutants and Peter Rabbit 2.

The pushback of Maverick indirectly increases the spotlight on another major entertainment event currently planned for late July – San Diego Comic-Con. Following an EW story last week questioning the wisdom of moving forward with a crowd-packed fan event during a pandemic where a potentially deadly virus is spread by breathing, Comic-Con released a statement Wednesday noting the organization is still "hopeful" about holding SDCC and are monitoring the situation closely.

In Maverick, Cruise returns to the role after the first film debuted in theaters more than 30 years ago. This time, he’s whipping a new generation of pilots into shape, including Miles Teller as Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, son of the late Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, played by Anthony Edwards in the 1986 original. The film also stars Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmer (reprising his Iceman Top Gun role).

For the latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19), including how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you are sick, please visit coronavirus.gov.

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