Val Kilmer Returns For ‘Top Gun’ Sequel

Tom Cruise released the first image for the long-awaited "Top Gun" sequel — and now ailing co-star Val Kilmer is confirmed to be on the set as production begins!

Val himself concerned fans in 2015 when he took to Facebook to announce "I just got offered 'Top Gun 2'" — and then had to admit that he was talking about a film that isn't being made yet! "I jumped the gun with my post," he later wrote, adding: "It was just such a wonderful phone call with my agent."

At the time, Val was already fighting a deadly throat tumor. The health crisis ultimately left the former screen star barely able to speak, later admitting: “I sound like Marlon Brando after a couple bottles of tequlia.” When The ENQUIRER asked Val in 2017 if he'd return to acting, he responded: "I don't know!"

Tragically, The ENQUIRER caught the star looking frighteningly frail in May 2018, prompting fears of a new cancer struggle. And while the struggling star has been dubbed in other recent films, some fans feared Val would go missing from "Top Gun: Maverick."

But a staffer with Paramount Pictures told The ENQUIRER: "There's plenty of secrecy on the set" — and then RADAR Online caught Val near the film's shooting location! Fans won't have to wait to see Val, though. He's also booked nearby personal appearances in June and July, where he'll valiantly attempt to host screenings of his Mark Twain one-man show.