'Top Gun 2' to pit Maverick against drones

Top Gun's Maverick is coming back, but he's going to be fighting a different enemy this time.

Skydance CEO David Ellison revealed to Collider more details about the sequel to the 1986 hit, and it will look at the clash between manned and unmanned aircraft, or in other words, pilots versus drones.

"Justin Marks is writing the screenplay right now," Ellison said. "He has a phenomenal take to really update that world for what fighter pilots in the Navy (have) turned into today."

"When you look at the world of dogfighting, what's interesting about it is that it's not a world that exists to the same degree when the original movie came out," he continued. "This world has not been explored. It is very much a world we live in today where it's drone technology and fifth generation fighters are really what the United States Navy is calling the last man-made fighter that we're actually going to produce so it's really exploring the end of an era of dogfighting and fighter pilots and what that culture is today are all fun things that we're gonna get to dive into in this movie."

As far as the possibility of Tom Cruise reprising his iconic role? Ellison didn't say for sure in the interview, but he strongly hinted that the star would be back.

"There is an amazing role for Maverick in the movie," he said. "And there is no Top Gun without Maverick, and it is going to be Maverick playing Maverick."

Skydance representative Joy Fehily had this to say when USA TODAY reached out: "Skydance is simply at the development stage for Top Gun 2. We do not have any cast deals completed at this time.."