The long-awaited sequel to Top Gun is the latest movie to fall victim to the coronavirus outbreak.

Star Tom Cruise has told fans the release of his follow-up to the 1986 classic has been pushed back six months.

Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick had been scheduled for release in the US on June 24, and Australia on June 25. On Friday morning (Australian time), Cruise told fans they’d have to wait a bit longer.

Tweet from @TomCruise

Cruise, 57, reprises his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the now-delayed sequel. Another star from the 1986 original, Val Kilmer, also returns as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, while Maverick also stars Jon Hamm, Lewis Pullman and Charles Parnell.

Top Gun is only the latest big cinema release to be delayed amid the worsening global coronavirus outbreak.

Sony Pictures said on Monday the release of its comic book adventure Morbius, Ghostbusters: Afterlife would be delayed, along with a host of other upcoming flicks. The releases of Disney’s Black Widow, Universal’s Fast 9, and Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman have also been put off.

No Time To Die, the fifth and last Bond film to star Daniel Craig, was due in cinemas in early April but is on hold until November.

“When Sony pulled the plug on their films, that signalled the end of any hope of a summer movie season,” said Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations.

“If magically a vaccine comes out in June, then maybe that won’t be the case, but I don’t really expect that to happen.”

-with AAP