Summary

• Top Gun 3 is confirmed, and the success of Top Gun: Maverick is perhaps the biggest reason for the third film.
• While the cast for Top Gun 3 is uncertain, Tom Cruise will return as Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell with Miles Teller as Hangman and Glen Powell as Rooster.
• No details about the story have been revealed, but it could see the Top Gun team flying to prove they are better than drone pilots.

Top Gun 3 was an inevitability after Tom Cruise's triumphant return in Top Gun: Maverick, and the future of the Top Gun franchise and a third movie is becoming clearer. 36 years after Top Gun became a cultural phenomenon Tom Cruise reprised one of his most iconic roles, Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, in Top Gun: Maverick. Maverick reignited the audience's passion for Captain Pete Mitchell, and the demand for Top Gun 3 was instant.

Top Gun: Maverick's cast brought Captain Mitchell back to Fightertown, USA, to train a new generation of pilots claiming to be "the best of the best." With breathtaking aerial photography and steeped in nostalgia for the original Top Gun, Maverick brought Pete Mitchell into the modern era full throttle. Top Gun: Maverick performed swimmingly at the box office, being one of the biggest breakout hits of 2022 and making $1.4 billion worldwide. Despite this, Top Gun 3 wasn't rushed into production, and it has taken until 2024 to hear any real news.

The Latest Top Gun 3 News

Jerry Bruckheimer Hints At An Uncertain Timeline

Not long after the project was officially announced, the latest update comes as producer Jerry Bruckheimer offers an uncertain timeline for Top Gun 3. The legendary producer behind both the original film and Top Gun: Maverick Bruckheimer spoke candidly about the challenges of making Top Gun 3 with star Tom Cruise's busy schedule. Cruise is still one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood, and his return for the third film is necessary if not a bit of an impediment. Read Bruckheimer's full comments below:

It's hard to tell. You don't know, you really don't know. You don't know how they come together. You just don't know. Because with Top Gun you have an actor who is iconic and brilliant. And how many movies he does before he does Top Gun, I can't tell you.

Tom Cruise is currently working on Mission: Impossible 8 and it isn't clear if there are any other projects on his schedule before he can return for Top Gun 3.

Top Gun 3 Is Confirmed

The Classic '80s Franchise Returns Again

While speculation about the sequel has been high since the film was such a box-office juggernaut, Top Gun 3 wasn't officially confirmed until January 2024. However, the confirmation was also accompanied by news of Tom Cruise's return as Pete Mitchell, further proof that the sequel would be on the way soon.

Stream Top Gun: Maverick on Amazon Prime Video, MGM+, and Paramount+.

Top Gun 3 Cast

Tom Cruise Will Return For The Third Movie

While most of the cast of Top Gun 3 is still under wraps, early news suggests that the ensemble of Maverick may return en masse. When the sequel was announced in January 2024, it was revealed that Tom Cruise would reprise his role as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, quelling rumors that he wouldn't be involved with the third film. Additionally, it was revealed that Cruise would be joined by his Maverick co-stars Miles Teller as Lt. Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw and Glen Powell as Lt. Jake 'Hangman' Seresin.

The rest of the returning cast might include:

Top Gun 3 Story

Does Top Gun: Maverick Set Up A Sequel?

Top Gun: Maverick's ending didn't explicitly set up a third movie, but it also didn't need to for a sequel to work. The Top Gun 3 story will inevitably feature a new mission that requires Maverick and the other pilots, and the specific details will be secondary to what it means for the development of their characters. However, Maverick did plant a seed for a potential new story because Admiral Cain planned to replace human pilots with a drone armada. Perhaps Top Gun 3 would pit Maverick and other human pilots against Cain's drones to prove that man is superior to a machine.

What would make this story even better is a Top Gun reunion. As previously mentioned, most of the crew didn't come back for Top Gun 2, so a battle against the machines sets up the perfect reunion story for Top Gun 3. Top Gun 3 could see the original fighter pilot team reuniting to prove that men fly better than machines, and it would be a satisfying tribute to the original movie. Needless to say, the storyline that sees replacing human pilots with drones will probably be a part of Top Gun 3's setup, but it'll be interesting to see in what capacity.