Tom Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick”
Paramount Pictures / Courtesy of the Everett Collection
Paramount is hoping to reinvigorate the Top Gun franchise with the launch of a third film in the storied franchise.
Top Gun: Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger is writing a script for a new installment, and sources say Maverick director Joe Kosinski will also return to direct. Puck first reported the news of Kurger's involvement. The intention is to reunite Tom Cruise with his Next Gen co-stars Miles Teller and Glen Powell.
The development comes days after Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Cruise had signed a deal to star in and produce films for Warners, although the pact is not exclusive. Most of the actor's recent films have been at Paramount, although he was not under contract there. While some might view the Top Gun news as a pretext in the war for Cruise headlines, the reality is that this sequel has been quietly in development since late fall.
Paramount could not be reached for comment.
Maverick was a massive performer at the box office in 2022, earning $1.5 billion worldwide and prompting Steven Spielberg to credit Cruise with saving the theater business, battered by the coronavirus pandemic. The feature film came decades after Tony Scott's 1986 “Top Gun,” which helped establish Cruise as a rising movie star.
Don't expect to see the new Top Gun movie any time soon. Cruise is currently working on an eighth Mission: Impossible film, which will keep him busy at least until its release, currently scheduled for May 2025. And it took a few years of development for Maverick to take off. Still, this development underscores what became clear after this week: Cruise is still a sought-after star and studios will be fighting for his time and attention for many years to come.