Tom Cruise says Top Gun: Maverick co-star Jennifer Connelly is 'a great actress, perfect for the film

Los Angeles: Tom Cruise has welcomed Oscar-winning actor Jennifer Connelly in the cast of Top Gun sequel. [caption id=“attachment_4817161” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] File images of Tom Cruise (left) and Jennifer Connelly (right)[/caption] The Paramount and Skydance’s feature, titled _Top Gun: Maverick_ , will be directed by Joseph Kosinski. Connelly, whose acting credits includes _A_ _Beautiful Mind_ and Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream, recently joined the cast which also includes Miles Teller and Val Kilmer. She will be playing the female lead. Cruise, who reprises his role of Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, said Connelly is “perfect” for the part. “Look, she’s a great actress, obviously. …When you see the film, you’ll see why she’s perfect for it. She is very talented, very vibrant, and we’re just going to have a great cast. Gonna be a lot of fun.” Cruise told Entertainment Tonight. The actor is currently on a promotional tour for his new release _Mission: Impossible - Fallout_  which releases on 27 July. Top Gun: Maverick will be set in a world of drone technology and will explore the end of the era of dogfighting, with Cruise portraying a flight instructor. Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the first film with the late Don Simpson, will produce with Cruise and Skydance CEO David Ellison. The film is set to be released on 12 July, 2019.