To all the Top Gun and Tom Cruise fans, you guys can sing “Goodness gracious, great balls of fire” now! According to Matt Beloni from Puck, Top Gun 3 is reportedly in the works at Paramount. It will serve as a follow-up to Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick, which came out in May 2022.
Tom Cruise will reprise the role of Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in the third Top Gun film. Apart from him, fans will witness the return of Miles Teller and Glen Powell, who played Lieutenant Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw and Lieutenant Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin in the 2022 film.
Director Joseph Kosinski will produce the project alongside David Ellison and Jerry Bruckheimer, with a script from Ehren Kruger. However, we do not know if Kosinski will return to helm the threequel.
This news comes out after Cruise’s recent partnership with Warner Bros. Don’t worry, guys! The deal between them is non-exclusive. It means the actor is free to work on other projects, including Paramount’s Mission: Impossible franchise.
Top Gun: Maverick exceeded all expectations and minted nearly $1.5 billion globally, establishing itself as one of the greatest sequels in the history of Hollywood. The film’s climax did not indicate a potential third film. It was perfect and gave a sense of closure to Maverick’s arc. But we also cannot ignore the sequel’s massive box-office success. The film’s highly profitable box office results convinced Paramount to greenlight the third entry.
Although, there is a scene in the second film that may set up Top Gun 3. Do you guys remember Admiral Cain (played by Ed Harris)? He wanted the budget of the hypersonic ‘Darkstar’ scramjet project (which ran under Maverick’s supervision) for his unmanned drone armada. He believed that drones were better than human pilots. It is possible that Top Gun 3 may have a thrilling ‘Humans vs Drones’ storyline. The third part could put Maverick and his Top Gun team against Cain’s drones.
Top Gun 3 could also show the death of a major character. All the Top Gun pilots, including Rooster and Maverick, returned home safely after destroying the uranium enrichment plant in the final moments of the second film. But things may change in the third film. We should not ignore the possibility of a key Top Gun member losing their life in the future. Our bets are on Maverick himself.
Yes, the mere thought of Tom Cruise’s Maverick losing his life seems painful. But logically, this scenario makes sense. The actor is now 61 years old, and we cannot imagine him playing the character forever. Top Gun 3 could mark the final appearance of Cruise as Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell. His tragic death could inspire other Top Gun graduates to take down their enemies and strengthen their unity.
Top Gun 3 will come out very late, as Tom Cruise is currently working on Mission: Impossible 8, which will come out in May 2025. After everything that has happened this week, there is no denying that Cruise is still an in-demand star in Hollywood. Stay tuned for more updates.
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