Top Gun: Maverick is a Sequel that fans waited for 35 years. Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer will reprise their role from the first film. Kelly McGillis, who played Charlie in the first film, will not be returning. Most likely because she has retired from acting. She also said in an interview that she was not offered a role in the film. There could be a possible explanation for why Maverick and Charlie didn’t end up together. Jennifer Connelly will be Tom Cruise’s love interest instead. She is the daughter of a former Admiral and a single mother who runs a Bar.