After a 37-week dry spell, Tom Cruise has returned to Instagram to celebrate Top Gun Day. The veteran action star joined the platform in January 2018 during the production of Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and uses it to promote his upcoming films. His newest post celebrates the fans who have made Top Gun a classic, while also hyping fans for the upcoming sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.

“[Top Gun Day] is a day created by and dedicated to the fans. I can’t wait for you guys to see Top Gun: Maverick later this year,” Cruise wrote in the caption of the new post. In the image that accompanied it, Cruise can be seen looking at a large framed photo of a scene from the original Top Gun movie. It’s a classic moment — Maverick and Iceman (Val Kilmer) smiling and locking hands while they’re cheered on by fellow pilots. Cruise is being filmed as he stares at the photo, while a boom mic operator holds a microphone above his head.

Today also marks the re-release of Top Gun in theaters, to celebrate Top Gun Day and the upcoming sequel. The completely remastered film is being released in Dolby Cinema AMC theaters for a limited time. Top Gun Day is also three days early than the anniversary of the debut of the original film on May 16, 1986. Top Gun is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, further proving that Cruise simply doesn’t age.

Several production delays due to the ongoing health crisis have pushed Top Gun: Maverick back more than once. If the COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t happened, the sequel would have been well in our rear view now with an original premiere date of December 23, 2020. The film was then slated to premiere on July 2 but was pushed back again to later this year.

Top Gun: Maverick lands in theaters on November 19. Check out Cruise’s new behind-the-scenes photo for Top Gun Day below.

via Collider