Los Angeles: Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise surprised San Diego Comic-Con fans by presenting the first look trailer of "Top Gun: Maverick". He said it was his "love letter to aviation". The movie is a follow up to Tony Scott's 1986 action drama "Top Gun" that made him a superstar.

The actor cancelled his appearance at Paramount Pictures' "Terminator: Dark Fate" panel to deliver the nostalgic trailer of the film.

Recalling that he shot "Top Gun" on the streets of San Diego, Cruise said, "For 34 years, you guys have been very patient with me, and I felt it was my responsibility to finally deliver for you. I have a little piece for you to see. This is our very first trailer. You are the first people in the world to see it and everything you see in this film, is obviously for real."

"I really wanted to give you a feel of what it is to be inside that aircraft. For me, Top Gun is about competition, it is about family, it is about sacrifices, it is about heroism and it is about aviation and I love aviation. It is a love letter to aviation," he added amid loud cheers from fans.

The film, directed by Joseph Kosinski, will release sometime in 2020.

The trailer gave a hat-tip to the original with the bike race, beach volleyball, Maverick's signature jacket and aviators and speedy fighter jets that first made the audiences fall in love with Cruise.

The Paramount Pictures project also features Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman and Ed Harris.

It will be distributed exclusively in India by Viacom18 in 2020.