Nicholas Hoult is one of the front-runners for a key role in ‘Top Gun 2’.
The 28-year-old British star – who got his breakout role in the 2002 film ‘About a Boy’ – faces competition from fellow actors Glen Powell and Miles Teller for a major part in the long-awaited sequel of the 1986 classic starring Tom Cruise as Maverick.
Producers are said to be looking for an actor to play the son of Maverick’s wingman and close friend Goose, who met a fatal end in the original, which was directed by Tony Scott.
Along with Cruise – who treated his Twitter followers back in May to a behind-the-scenes look into the new film – Val Kilmer is set to reprise his role as the iconic Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, having teased back in 2015 that he had been offered a part in the sequel.
In a post on Facebook, he said: "I just got offered #topgun2 – not often you get to say "yes" without reading the script… (sic)"
He added: "We will all miss Tony Scott one of the kindest gentlemen I’ve ever met in the film biz, but let’s fire up some fighter jets again!!! (sic)"
Meanwhile, director Joseph Kosinski previously hinted at what fans can expect from the follow-up.
Teasing that that film will focus on Maverick’s time in the modern armed forces, he said: "The Navy is very different now than it was in 1986. Back then, they hadn’t been in any war for 15 or 20 years at that point.
"Now, here in 2017, the Navy’s been at war for 20 years. It’s just a different world now, so you can’t remake the first movie. It has to adapt."
Nicholas Holt in the running for a key role in Top Gun 2
