New Delhi: Paramount Pictures has confirmed that a third instalment in the Top Gun franchise is in development, with Tom Cruise set to return as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell.
The announcement was made during a presentation at the CinemaCon 2026 in Las Vegas. While a script is currently in development, the American production house announced that no timeline for the film has been set yet.
This development follows the performance of the Tom Cruise and Miles Teller-starrer, which was released in May 2022 after delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With a global theatrical release, the film grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide and around Rs 50 crore in India, remaining a box-office fixture for weeks after its release. It was one of the highest-grossing films of the year and one of the biggest hits of Cruise’s career.
In the sequel, Cruise returns as a test pilot who is brought back to train a new group of pilots at an elite US Navy programme. The team is tasked with a high-risk mission involving a heavily defended target.
The film featured Teller as Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw, the son of Maverick’s former co-pilot Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw. The cast also included Glen Powell, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm and Val Kilmer, who briefly reprised his role as Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky.
The second instalment of the franchise by Joseph Kosinski received positive reviews and won the Academy Award for Best Sound. It was also nominated for Best Picture and several other categories.
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Top Gun 3—What we know so far
So far, no announcement has been made regarding the film’s cast, nor have any of the previous cast members teased a return to the franchise. There has also been no confirmation on whether the story will continue directly from the events of Kosinski’s film.
Cruise is currently working on other projects, including the next instalment of the Mission Impossible franchise, which could affect the production schedule.
Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced Top Gun (1996) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022), will also be producing the upcoming film. There is, however, no official confirmation yet on the director.
Nor has the production house hinted at a release date or year for Top Gun 3.
The Top Gun franchise began with the release of the original film in 1986, which followed US Navy aviators in training at a fighter weapons school. The film became widely popular and contributed to Cruise’s rise as a leading actor in Hollywood.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)