May 21 (UPI) -- Val Kilmer wrote on Instagram that he is happy with the response to Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel to his 1986 classic, Top Gun.
"I'm overwhelmed to see the love and appreciation for Top Gun. I'm feeling very blessed. Much Love, <3 VK," Kilmer, who appears as Iceman in a cameo, posted Friday.
The message included a link to a Variety story about how the U.S. Navy pilot drama received a 5-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival in France this week.
Starring Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm and Miles Teller, the film currently holds a 96% "fresh" rating on the review roundup website Rotten Tomatoes.
It will open exclusively in theaters on May 27 after a two-year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer told People magazine, Cruise, who is also a producer on the movie, was adamant that Kilmer be included to the extent that his health allowed.
Kilmer speaks with mechanical assistance after a battle with throat cancer.
"He said, 'We have to have Val, we have to have him back. We have to have him in the film,'" Bruckheimer recalled.
"And he was the driving force. We all wanted him, but Tom was really adamant that if he's going to make another Top Gun, Val had to be in it," Bruckheimer added. "He's such a fine actor, and he's such a good individual. We had such a good time on the first one and wanted to bring some of the gang back together again."