It's official! Maverick is heading back to the skies for round three!
During their CinemaCon presentation today, Paramount announced that Top Gun 3 is officially in the works, with Jerry Bruckheimer producing and Tom Cruise confirmed to reprise his iconic role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.
While the film has been in some form of early development since at least 2024 when Ehren Kruger was hired to write a script, this is the first time the studio has openly confirmed Cruise's involvement. He'd reportedly been waiting on a good script, and it seems as though things are finally trending in the right direction.
There was no mention of a director during the presentation, so it's uncertain whether Joseph Kosinski will return to helm the threequel. On X, Jeff Sneider speculated that, if Kosinski didn't return, then Logan director James Mangold could be one of the studio's top choices to take the helm, especially if his latest directorial High Side with Timothée Chalamet is well received.
Paramount's David Ellison has described Top Gun 3 as a top priority for the studio and is on the record stating that he'd like to be in business with Cruise for as long as the legendary star is willing to work with him. To date, they've collaborated on ten films, including Top Gun: Maverick and the last few Mission: Impossible films. With Ellison poised to acquire Warner Bros. in the coming year, barring any unforeseen developments, he should have ample opportunity to reteam with Cruise, who has a deal at WB, on a myriad of projects.
In our review of the previous installment, we said, "Top Gun: Maverick is the must-see cinematic experience of the year! Packed with jaw-dropping aerial sequences, thrilling edge-of-your-seat moments, genuine heart, epic romance, huge stakes, and one of the absolute best performances of Tom Cruise's legendary career, this is the theatrical experience you've been waiting for."
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”
Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.