Bryan Alexander

USA TODAY

Tom Cruise is going back to the danger zone of Top Gun.

The star confirmed Tuesday during an Australian TV interview that he will begin shooting the much-discussed sequel to the 1986 classic Top Gun.

"It's true," Cruise repeated to the apparently surprised newscaster. "I'm going to start probably in the next year. I know, it's happening. It's definitely happening.

"You're the first people I've said it to, you asked me and so I'm telling you," the star added.

30 best quotes from 'Top Gun' for its 30th anniversary

'Top' secret: Why movies endure 30 years later

No further details were given. The Top Gun sequel has long been a goal for producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Cruise, who shot to international stardom as hot-shot pilot Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.

The highest-grossing film of 1986, directed by Tony Scott, features a who's who of the biggest stars of that next decade: Cruise; Anthony Edwards as sidekick Nick "Goose" Bradshaw; Kelly McGillis as Cruise's love interest, defense contractor Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood; Val Kilmer as Cruise's nemesis, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky; and Meg Ryan as Edwards' young wife. There are even scenes with a young fighter pilot played by Tim Robbins.

Bruckheimer's decades-long quest for the sequel seemed to get jet boosters in January 2016 after he tweeted a photo of himself with Cruise when they met to discuss the project.

The duo threw out ideas with Jungle Book screenwriter Justin Marks for a new story centered around a now-senior Maverick.