Tom Cruise's rebellious fighter pilot Maverick will be returning to the big screen soon in the much-anticipated sequel to the beloved 1980s classic Top Gun. Entitled Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel promises the return of several characters from the first movie, but one character is not able to return (due to a severe case of being dead) is Anthony Edwards' upbeat co-pilot Goose. Edwards was recently asked how he feels about the return of the franchise, and he had nothing but positivity to send toward his former castmates as they re-enlist for Top Gun: Maverick.

"It'll be fun to see. I love flying and I loved what we've achieved in that original that broke a lot of rules. It was just so exciting visually. Of course [Cruise] will do it justice."

Cruise's return to the franchise came as something of a surprise, with the actor tending to shy away from doing sequels. Aside from the Mission Impossible movies, of course. But, Anthony Edwards has no doubts about the Hollywood superstar bringing the magic back for the long, long-awaited sequel, reminiscing about the inspirational drive he saw in Cruise whilst filming the first Top Gun.

"He's proven himself as an actor, a filmmaker, a story maker for many years and Tom Cruise is going to do a great version of the sequel. He only has one switch."

Edwards continued to look back, saying he has fond memories of preparing for Top Gun, which took him, Cruise and co-star Val Kilmer through vigorous aircraft training even back then.

"The most fun was getting qualified so that you could actually ride in the backseat to do the filming. It was an incredible experience because we had to go through all the air and water survival training that anybody would have to go through to fly in the back of one of those planes. It was pretty exciting."

Of course, Tom Cruise is now well known for his dedication to stuntwork, pushing himself and often even his co-stars to the limit in the name of cinematic excitement. Clearly Edwards has no hard feelings about the franchise returning without him, quite the opposite in fact, and will likely be queuing up to buy a ticket to the movie along with the rest of us. Besides, despite the character not physically appearing in the movie, the storyline rests heavily on Goose's legacy.

Top Gun: Maverick picks up with Tom Cruise's character, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, who has now served more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators. The Navy remains is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.

When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw, played by Miles Teller, call sign: "Rooster," the son of Maverick's late best friend and Radar Intercept Officer LTJG Nick Bradshaw, known as "Goose." Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

Top Gun: Maverick is directed by Joseph Kosinski from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie and a story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks. The movie stars Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmer alongside Tom Cruise and Miles Teller.

Top Gun: Maverick is scheduled for release on December 23. This comes to us from Fox News.