We feel the need… the need, for speed. Here’s what’s coming down the line in Top Gun 3, including any potential release date speculation, possible cast and plot details, and more.
Who would have thought that a sequel almost 20 years in the making could be so incredible? Top Gun: Maverick is right up there as one of the best movies of the 2020s (and maybe ever, actually).
Maverick was also one of the highest-grossing movies of recent years, and we know money talks, so Top Gun 3 has to happen, right?
Well, here’s what we know about the potential new movie, who’ll be involved, and what it’ll be about.
Is there a Top Gun 3 release date?
Top Gun 3 doesn’t have a release date yet.
News of the threequel’s active development emerged via Puck News on January 12, coming after more than a year of speculation following Maverick’s enormous box office run. Coming second only to Avatar: The Way of Water, the film amassed an eye-watering haul of nearly $1.5 billion.
It comes after Cruise signed a non-exclusive “strategic partnership” with Warner Bros, whereby he’ll produce and star in several films, with hopes of developing Edge of Tomorrow 2 and perhaps a brand-new franchise. However, it’s not a first-look detail, and considering he’s shooting Mission: Impossible 8, he still has a working relationship with Paramount.
That’s not to say things aren’t icy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the star wasn’t “happy with the way Paramount dealt with him on a number of issues”, including Maverick’s initial 45-day theatrical window and M:I7’s release with Oppenheimer and Barbie, two films that absorbed any and all cultural attention.
Puck notes Top Gun 3 “could be Cruise’s next movie after M:I 8, or he might first do the Doug Liman space movie at Universal, which is still in active development (though NASA is involved, so who knows about the timing there).”
In an interview with GamesRadar at the end of May 2024, producer Jerry Bruckheimer said “preliminary” discussions had been held with Cruise, but admitted, “We’re not there yet. [There’s] ways to go.”
Who’ll be in the cast?
No full cast is confirmed yet, but the Top Gun 3 cast is expected to include Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, and Glen Powell.
Powell confirmed he will be back in June 2024, and that a date has been set for production.
Cruise plays Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, a US Navy captain whose repeated insubordination – like him pushing an experimental aircraft beyond Mach 10 – has seen his military career remain stagnant. In the sequel, Iceman (now an admiral) calls him back to train Top Gun graduates for a top-secret mission.
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Teller played Rooster, the son of the late Goose, Maverick’s best friend and co-pilot in the first film. Powell played Hangman, the cockiest pilot in the program who cashes checks his body can cash.
As per Puck, “Top Gun: Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger is now officially at work on a follow-up to the 2022 megahit that will reunite Cruise with co-stars Miles Teller and Glen Powell, as well as producers Jerry Bruckheimer and David Ellison, and Joe Kosinski will either direct or produce.”
It’s unclear if the likes of Jennifer Connelly (Penny), Monica Barbaro (Phoenix), Lewis Pullman (Bob), Jon Hamm (Cyclone), or Charles Parnell (Warlock) will reprise their roles. Val Kilmer, who delivered the sequel’s most heart-aching scene as Iceman, likely won’t appear after his character died.
In an earlier interview with Dexerto, Barbaro and Pullman spoke about the demand for Top Gun 3 and whether they’d be keen to return.
Barbaro said: “Tom waited at least 30 years to even start having the conversation about making another one. And they waited for technology to be in a place where they could achieve something that had not been done before, and they waited for the right story.
“So, as much as I would love to be like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it again!’, I really respect that no one’s making moves just in the name of making more money. You know, they’re really, really deeply interested in finding the right story; the right… new ambitious feat.
“We put so much trust in everyone who made this movie, and I just trust them wholeheartedly in whatever decision they make for the future. I wouldn’t wanna rush something just to make money.”
What could the plot be?
There are no plot details for Top Gun 3 right now.
The sequel ended with Maverick and Rooster reconciling and hugging after making it home from the mission. Maverick also appeared to be saved from the wrath of Cyclone, who’d vowed Top Gun would be his last post earlier in the film.
We’d expect one of two possible stories: Maverick will either train a new group of Top Gun recruits, or we’ll see him lead another operation that’ll ultimately lead to him being promoted. This is all pure speculation though, and we’ll add any rumors, leaks, or updates as soon as they drop.
Is there a trailer?
No, there isn’t a trailer for Top Gun 3 right now. If you want to experience the feels all over again, you can watch the last few minutes of Maverick below:
Until we know more, you can dive into Glen Powell’s next movie, Twisters. For more blockbuster action, here’s what we know about Deadpool 3 and James Gunn’s Superman.