Paramount is aiming to revitalize the Top Gun franchise with the creation of a third film. The script for this potential installment is being written by Ehren Kruger, who co-wrote Top Gun: Maverick. Sources indicate that Joe Kosinski, the director of Maverick, is also set to return for the new project. Tom Cruise is expected to reunite with his next-generation co-stars, Miles Teller and Glen Powell.
This announcement follows closely on the heels of Warner Bros. Discovery revealing that Cruise signed a deal to both star in and produce movies for Warner Bros., although the agreement is nonexclusive. While Cruise has had recent collaborations with Paramount, this new Top Gun project has been quietly in development since late fall.
Top Gun: Maverick achieved significant success at the box office in 2022, earning $1.5 billion globally. The film’s success led Steven Spielberg to credit Cruise with rejuvenating the theatrical business, which had been struggling due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Maverick, released decades after Tony Scott’s 1986 Top Gun, played a pivotal role in establishing Cruise as a prominent movie star.
The release of the new Top Gun movie is not anticipated in the near future, considering Cruise’s commitment to the eighth Mission: Impossible film, scheduled for release in May 2025. Development for Maverick took a few years before it materialized. Nevertheless, this development underscores Cruise’s enduring popularity, highlighting how studios will continue to vie for his time and attention in the years to come.