Tom Cruise teases 'Top Gun 2' as sequel enters production

May 31 (UPI) -- Tom Cruise posted on Twitter Thursday a teaser image for the upcoming sequel to Top Gun in celebration of the film entering into production.

"#Day 1," Cruise captioned an image of himself in full pilot gear as he looks on at his F-14A Tomcat.

The phrase "Feel the need," is also present on the photo, a reference to a famous line from the original 1986 film, "I feel the need...the need for speed."

The Top Gun sequel, officially titled Top Gun: Maverick in reference to Cruise's character Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell, will be directed by Joseph Kosinski with Jerry Bruckheimer returning to produce along with German composer Harold Faltermeyer who created the score for the original film.

Kosinski is known for helming Tron: Legacy and worked with Cruise on Oblivion.

Top Gun: Maverick, set for release on July 12, 2019, will follow Maverick in the present day as he deals with the rise of drone technology that is making his style of jet fighter flying obsolete.

Cruise said that the sequel will retain the same tone as the first film.

"Stylistically, it is going to be the same. We're going to have the same score," the actor said. "Aviators are back. The need for speed. We're going to have big, fast machines. ... It's going to be a competition film like the first one and it is going to be in the same vein, the same tone as the first one, but a progression for [my character] Maverick."