Cruise, 52, is slated to return as ace pilot Maverick in a story that aims to show the relevance of good old fashioned pilots in today's high-tech, drone-centric war environment, said The Hollywood Reporter.
Peter Craig, the scribe who wrote Ben Affleck's 'The Town', penned the previous draft a couple of years ago. The project was shelved when Tony Scott, the director of the original film and who was to direct the sequel, committed suicide in 2012.