At this stage, the plot is mostly being kept under wraps. The only details that have come out about the story so far reveal that Cruise's character is now a flight instructor and that drone technology will play a part in the events of the film. Joseph Kosinski, who previously helmed 2013's Oblivion, is directing the sequel and told ComingSoon in October that that the sequel will be "appropriate for the times we live in."
"The Navy is very different now than it was in 1986," he explained. "It's just a different world now, so you can't remake the first movie. It has to adapt, [but] I certainly want to recreate the experience of that movie, which gives you a front seat into the world of naval aviation and what it's like to be in a fighter jet."
In the first trailer released for the sequel, we see Maverick struggling to adapt to this new world. Ed Harris's character, Maverick's superior, criticizes the pilot for not rising through the ranks of the Navy to become an admiral, choosing instead to remain stagnant as a captain.