Tom Cruise is all set to fly across the skies once again as Top Gun 3 is finally taking shape with the actor and producer Jerry Bruckheimer returning for a new instalment in the franchise. This time, fans may not have to wait over three decades for a new film as Paramount film co-head Josh Greenstein revealed that "a script is well underway." The announcement was made on Thursday at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
While a director is yet to be attached to the project, the film will serve as a follow-up to Top Gun: Maverick (2022). A third film has been in the works for a long time as Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger was given the responsibility to write the script back in 2024.
The sequel Top Gun: Maverick (2022), came 36 years after the first film Top Gun (1986) and found major critical and commercial success at the box office and minted $1.5 billion worldwide. It won one Oscar last year for Best Sound and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture.
David Ellison, the now Paramount owner, backed Maverick via Skydance and during a press briefing, he said Top Gun 3 was important for the studio. He further noted that he would be in the busines as long as Cruise wanted to make films with him. The noted star was not present during the event.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film also stared Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Monica Barbaro, Ed Harris and Val Kilmer, returning as Iceman. Kilmer passed away last year. The film revolved around naval aviator Pete "Maverick" Mitchell who is now training a young batch of Top Gun graduates on a new dangerous mission. But his life takes a drastic turn as he crosses paths with his Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of his best friend Pete “Goose” Bradshaw who died in the first film.
Besides Ehren Kruger, Top Gun: Maverick had a screenplay written by Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie, with story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks.