'Top Gun: Maverick' will be finished on time to make its original release date.

The much-anticipated movie - which stars Hollywood icon Tom Cruise - was originally set to release in June, but has since moved its premiere date to December 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking about the movie's schedule, director Joseph Kosinski told ComicBook.com: ''We're sticking to our schedule and finishing the movie just as if it were coming out on its original release date.''

The pandemic has created chaos in the film industry, with production work grinding to a halt and cinemas around the world being forced to close.

But Joseph revealed that the current restrictions haven't stopped him from working on the project.

He said: ''Luckily, I'm in the home stretch of post-production where, despite all the restrictions of how you can work now, I'm able to continue doing my job and finish the movie, which is pretty amazing.

''If I were in any other phase of the project, it would be hard to do that, but because I'm in the tail-end of post, I'm able to do everything I need to to be able to to finish it.''

Despite this, Joseph insisted the film will not be released before cinemas are reopened.

He described 'Top Gun: Maverick' as a ''movie that people need to see on the big screen''.

The film-maker added: ''If there's no big screen, then you don't want to release this movie. We want this to be a shared experience on as big a screen as possible.''