Val Kilmer says yes to Top Gun 2

Top Gun 2 might not have a script, a full cast or an official release date, but actor Val Kilmer says he doesn't need any of that when it comes to joining the on-again, off-again sequel.

Kilmer, who famously played competitive fighter pilot Iceman in the classic 1986 film Top Gun, wrote in a Facebook post overnight that he would reprise the role in a sequel – but then quickly backtracked.

In an edited version of the post a short time later, Kilmer said he "jumped the gun" with his initial message.

He went on to explain that he was offered a role in the sequel, which is still in infancy stages. Kilmer said he discussed the offer with his agent, but didn't mention from where it originated.

"This has been talked about for a long, long time and being offered a role is very different from doing a role," he wrote on Facebook.

The message generated an immediate response by fans online, partly because earlier chatter about the project had been put on hold after the death in 2012 of Tony Scott, who directed the original.

"We will all miss Tony Scott, one of the kindest gentlemen I've ever met in the film biz, but let's fire up some fighter jets again!!!" Kilmer wrote in the post.

The actor also referenced Gene Hackman and Francis Ford Coppola in the post, which was confusing to followers.

In the edited version, he clarified that if he was offered a chance to work with Hackman or Coppola, he would also agree without needing to read a script, but noted they would not be involved in Top Gun 2. (He appeared in Coppola's 2011 film Twixt).

Top Gun, about naval fighter pilots in training, starred Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Kilmer and Anthony Edwards. It was the highest grossing film of 1986 and became a 1980s classic.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and star Cruise, who played the lead role of Maverick in the original, have both expressed ongoing interest in making a sequel.

"It would be fun. I would like to get back into those jets," Cruise said earlier this year.