After years of speculation, Val Kilmer has apparently been confirmed as playing a part in the long-awaited sequel to Top Gun, reprising his Iceman character alongside Tom Cruise.

The Wrap reported on Thursday (June 7th) that Kilmer, 58, is set to appear alongside Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, a sequel that’s set to arrive 33 years after the iconic 1986 original.

Filming for the Top Gun sequel began last month after what has felt like endless months of rumours, with Joseph Kosinski, who took charge of the much-vaunted Tron sequel Legacy back in 2010, behind the camera as director.

Val KilmerVal Kilmer is confirmed as starring in 'Top Gun's sequel

55 year old Cruise caused a huge stir last week by posting a photo to Twitter of the first day of filming, getting back in character as United States Naval Aviator Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. Recent reports by Variety held that Cruise's character is now an instructor exploring “a world of drone technology, fifth-generation fighters and the end of the era of dog-fighting”.

More: Val Kilmer says he’s “ready” to reprise his iconic Iceman character in a ‘Top Gun’ sequel

No other plot details for the sequel, which has been written by Eric Warren Singer, Peter Craig and Justin Marks, have been leaked at the time of writing, but the film itself is scheduled to be released at an unconfirmed point in 2019.

It comes a full three years after Kilmer initially expressed interest in reprising his famous role. “Not often you get to say yes without reading the script,” he wrote in a Facebook post in 2015, alongside a picture of himself wearing an original Top Gun T-shirt.

Last year, Kilmer revealed in a Reddit Q&A session with fans that he had been successfully treated for cancer, after having denied Michael Douglas’ assertion that he was “dealing with” the disease.

More: Val Kilmer opens up about two-year battle with throat cancer [archive]