Tom Cruise returns to skies for third Top Gun movie

A third Top Gun movie is currently in development, following in the footsteps of Tom Cruise’s highest-grossing picture, Top Gun: Maverick.

Puck reveals that Ehren Kruger, co-writer of Top Gun: Maverick, is officially working on a script for the project. The goal is to reunite Tom Cruise with his Maverick co-stars, Miles Teller and Glen Powell. While no director has been confirmed, Puck suggests that Joseph Kosinski, the director of Maverick, is likely to be involved as a producer. Hrithik Roshan is set to play Squadron Leader Shamsher ‘Patty’ Pathania in the Indian film Fighter.

Top Gun: Maverick, featuring Cruise as mentor Pete “Maverick” Mitchell to a new generation of fighter pilots, including Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Teller) and Jake “Hangman” Seresin (Powell), was a highly successful sequel to the 1986 film, grossing over $1.49 billion worldwide. Cruise’s previous best-performing film was Mission: Impossible – Fallout, released in 2018, with $791.1 million in box office revenue.

This development coincides with significant studio moves regarding Cruise’s career. Warner Bros recently announced a non-exclusive deal with Cruise for the joint development and production of original and franchise theatrical films. However, Paramount, a rival studio, still owns the Top Gun property and will oversee Top Gun 3, likely to be Cruise’s next film. Paramount also controls the Mission: Impossible series, with the eighth installment, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, scheduled for release in May 2025 after being delayed by the Covid pandemic.