It might be slightly more than 31 years since the opening day of Top Gun, the military action movie that accelerated Tom Cruise's acting career to superstar status.

Despite the original cast getting on in age - Cruise is now 54 while co-star Kelly McGillis is 59 - rumours of a sequel to the film, which grossed US$350 million (S$486 million) worldwide to date, were confirmed by Cruise, who was speaking on Australia's morning TV show Sunrise on May 24.

Even producer Jerry Bruckheimer chipped in with a mouth-watering teaser, tweeting last January that he "Just got back from a weekend in New Orleans to see my old friend @TomCruise and discuss a little Top Gun 2".

But more than three decades on, where are the original cast of Top Gun now, and are they still feeling the need, the need for speed?

1. Tom Cruise aka Pete "Maverick" Mitchell

Ever since he played the wild pilot Maverick in Top Gun, Cruise has never looked back.

He went on to star in movies such as Rain Man, which won four Oscars including Best Picture in 1989, and Born On The Fourth Of July (1989), where he scored a Best Actor nomination for his role as a Vietnam war veteran.

Cruise has also become the face of the hugely popular Mission: Impossible series.

At 54, he is still forging ahead and is currently promoting his latest film, The Mummy.

2. Kelly McGillis aka Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood

McGillis' career did not quite reach the heights of Cruise's after Top Gun, but she has nonetheless starred in numerous critically acclaimed films.

She played Kathryn Murphy in the 1988 film The Accused, which was nominated for the prestigious Golden Bear at the 1989 Berlin International Film Festival.

One of McGillis' recent films was the horror movie The Innkeepers in 2011, and at 59, she is now reportedly teaching acting in North Carolina.

3. Val Kilmer aka Tom "Iceman" Kazanski

Since making his debut in comedy flick Top Secret!, Kilmer followed his Top Gun role with star turns as legendary rocker Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991) and as the caped crusader in Batman Forever (1995).

In 1995, he played a hitman next to Hollywood heavy-hitters Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in the critically acclaimed Heat.

Acting is not the 57-year-old's only talent: He is also a prolific painter whose art pieces adorn the walls of residences belonging to celebrities like Ryan Gosling, Robert Downey Jr and Sharon Stone.

Kilmer's current project is The Snowman, a crime drama which also stars Michael Fassbender.

4. Meg Ryan aka Carole Bradshaw

In Top Gun, Meg Ryan's character, Carole Bradshaw, probably dropped one of the most memorable quotes in cinematic history when she demanded: "Take me to bed or lose me forever."

Since then, the American actress, now 55, has gone from strength to strength. She starred in Sleepless in Seattle (1993) alongside Tom Hanks and the popular comedy When Harry Met Sally (1989), which won her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.

She has even participated in a documentary, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, as a celebrity advocate and most recently directed and acted in Ithaca (2016).

5. Anthony Edwards aka Nick "Goose" Bradshaw

Edwards, 54, played Maverick's best friend and navigator Nick "Goose" Bradshaw. Before Top Gun, Edwards had a starring role in the hit movie Revenge Of The Nerds.

But he is perhaps best known for playing Dr Mark Greene in the medical drama series ER from 1994 to 2002, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a television series drama.

In 2013, he voiced the character Echo in the Disney movie Planes, alongside his Top Gun co-star Kilmer, who voiced a character named Bravo.

Recently, he has appeared in television series like Billions and Law And Order: Special Victims Unit.

He is reportedly preparing to star in an unnamed thriller-drama set in a university, though the release date is still undecided.

6. Michael Ironside aka Rick "Jester" Heatherly

Typically cast in a military or bad guy role, Ironside has acted in numerous action-filled blockbusters, including Total Recall (1990), Terminator Salvation (2009), and X-Men: First Class (2011).

At 67, his next movie is the upcoming Canadian comedy The Space Between.

7. Tom Skerritt aka Mike "Viper" Metcalf

Skerritt played Viper in Top Gun back when he was 52. Before that, he was best known for playing the captain in the science-fiction classic Alien (1979).

Now 83, he appears to be still going strong. He had a role in last year's A Hologram For The King, which starred Tom Hanks, and will next appear on screen in the upcoming movie Lucky.

Sources: IMDb, The Guardian, Screenrant, The Sun