“Maverick reporting for duty,” is what Tom Cruise will hopefully be saying in the next few years. Following the surprising success of 2022’sTop Gun: Maverick, even fans who were skeptical about the legacy sequel were calling for Paramount to greenlight another sequel. Shortly afterMaverick’s release, the studio confirmed thatTop Gun 3was in development. But news on the project has been radio silent ever since.Top Gun 3’s development might have stalled on the runway, but Paramount recently confirmed that the threequel remains a high priority at the studio, and it will take fans' breath away in the near future.
The big Hollywood news from this month has been the Skydance-Paramount merger, with the two notable studios joining forces, led by co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg. With the merger came the uncertainty that some of Paramount’s biggest franchises could be put to rest, despite the ongoing development of sequels. Thankfully, Greenstein and Goldberg are committed to seeing Paramount’s upcoming sequels through to fruition, and that includesTop Gun 3. Goldberg toldDeadline:
“Top Gun is a priority for us.”
The news comes as a sigh of relief for theTop Gunfan base, who are desperate to see Pete “Maverick” Mitchell return to the cockpit one more time. Over the past few months, fans have slowly been teased with new developments. Exact details for the project, like its plot, cast, and release date, haven’t been nailed down by Paramount.Joseph Kosinski, who directedTop Gun: Maverick,is currently tapped to direct the threequel.
‘Top Gun 3’s Script Is In Development
WithTop Gun 3still in the running at the revamped Paramount, all eyes have turned back to the film’s development and script-writing process.Ehren Kruger is penning the scriptfor Kosinski’s threequel, and the director recently teased fans with what they can expect from Maverick’s not-so-triumphant return.
“I think we’ve found a way to do it, not only in the scale of what we’re proposing, but the idea itself of the story we’re telling,” Kosinski revealed. “We’re thinking much bigger than… It’s a really existential crisis that Maverick has in this, and it’s much bigger than himself. It actually… I’m trying to describe it without giving anything away. It’s an existential question that Maverick has to deal with, that would make Maverick feel small, I think, as a movie, compared to what we’re talking about.”
Other than Kosinski’s tease, no other details have been revealed. Tom Cruise is expected to return, especially as we now know that the plot revolves around Maverick. Cruise himself is eager to get back in the cockpit, but he hasn’t officially been added to the film’s cast yet. There is an even bigger question mark looming over the heads ofTop Gun: Maverick’s newer cast members.Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, and Miles Teller were among the new recruits at the Top Gun Academy, with the latter playing the son of Maverick’s former co-pilot, Goose. Their return inTop Gun 3remains a mystery. The film has no official release date.
