“Top Gun 3” Sets Flight Pattern at Paramount

Tom Cruise is gearing up for a third mission as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun 3 for Paramount Pictures.

The news was first reported by Puck, which writes that Top Gun: Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger is at work on a script for the third film in the franchise, with Maverick director Joe Kosinski returning to helm. Maverick stars Miles Teller and Glen Powell are also said to be returning.

This news comes only a few days after the news that Cruise had struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to produce and star in movies for the studio, but the deal is non-exclusive, leaving Cruise the freedom to take to the skies with Paramount. Top Gun 3 has actually been quietly in development since late fall, which makes sense considering the colossal success of Maverick.

Maverick was one of the biggest stories in movies in 2022, sparking a post-pandemic return to the theaters for moviegoers, who went in droves to see Cruise return to the role that made him a global superstar in Tony Scott’s 1986 Top Gun. Maverick went on to earn a staggering $1.5 billion globally at a time when the industry was looking for just such a rousing win.

Top Gun 3 won’t be arriving soon, however, due to Cruise’s busy current schedule. He’s working on Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two right now, which will keep him busy until its May 2025 release. And given the time and care that Cruise, Kosinski, and the rest of the Maverick team took in bringing the franchise back, they will almost certainly be as meticulous for the third installment.

For more on Top Gun: Maverick, check out these stories:

“Top Gun: Maverick” Passes “Titanic” As Seventh-Highest Grossing Domestic Release Ever

“Top Gun: Maverick” Now the Biggest Film in Paramount Pictures History

How the “Top Gun: Maverick” Sound Team Ingeniously Captured Raw Emotion Mid-Flight

Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” Makes History Again

Featured image: Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.