Of highest importance
Although Tom Cruise signed a non-exclusive deal with Warner Bros. earlier this week, it looks like he'll be busy with Paramount for some time yet. Tonight it's reported that Top Gun 3 is in development at Paramount and Ehren Kruger, co-writer of Top Gun: Maverick, is currently writing a draft.
It is said that the project would reunite Cruise with Mavericks Miles Teller and Glen Powell, as well as producers Jerry Bruckheimer and David Ellison. Joe Kosinski will reportedly either direct or produce.
Cruise is currently filming Mission: Impossible 8 for Paramount. The actor's space film with NASA is also being made at Universal. It is directed by Doug Liman.
Puck had the news about “Top Gun 3” tonight and they're speculating that it could be the three-time Oscar-nominated film's potential next project after “Mission: Impossible 8.” Even without Top Gun 3, it will be a challenge for Cruise to get anything from it, after he worked at Warners for a few years.
Top Gun: Maverick is the highest-grossing film of Cruise's career at $1.49 billion. The film won an Oscar for best sound last year and was nominated for six Oscars, including best picture.
What really stands out tonight is that Ellison's Skydance, which is looking to buy National Amusements in an all-cash deal, was a producer on Top Gun: Maverick. Deadline first told you that Ellison and Red Bird Capital were put to the test at National Amusements. The Shari Redstone-led issuer controls nearly 80% of Paramount shares and is the gatekeeper for every M&A deal. One of the backers of Skydance's current offer is Ellison's father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, according to a WSJ report. Ellison co-financed Top Gun: Maverick with a 25% share of the sequel's total net income of $391 million.
Deadline has reached out to Paramount for comment.