Summary
Top Gun 3is happening, but when it will actually come out has just become a big cause of concern for me after a couple of updates about Tom Cruise’s successors. WhenTop Gun: Maverickcame out, it had been three and a half decades sinceTony Scott’s originalTop Guncame out in 1986and catapulted Cruise to a different level of stardom. The sequel convinced me that good things are worth waiting for. I loved it so much thatTop Gun: Maverickwas the only movie that I watched three times in the theater since 2019’sAvengers: Endgame.
Despite this,I’m still holding out hope thatTop Gun 3won’t take nearly that long to come out. What can I say? I can be impatient (hence why I’m not a fan of streaming shows, since they have oddly long breaks, but that’s a different article). At least, Paramount has officially ordered the threequel, and I can’t blame them, consideringTop Gun: Maverick’s $1.49 billion haul. Currently, the company is looking at what could be its next big action franchise, especially ifMission: Impossibleis indeed ending. Cruise’s schedule has been mainly holding it up, however.
Top Gun 3: Confirmation, Cast & Everything We Know About The Maverick Sequel
Tom Cruise flew high in 2022 in Top Gun: Maverick. With its success, Top Gun 3 feels inevitable, and here’s everything we know about the next Top Gun.
Top Gun 3’s Complicated Release Date Explained
Cruise’s Schedule Is Currently Jampacked
There have been updates about the progress of the project, with producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently saying that they have ideas, but cautions thatit’s up to Cruise how and when they move forward. It has been two years sinceTop Gun: Maverickwas released, and if it was any other film with a sequel already confirmed, the threequel should at least be preparing for production right now. Unfortunately, that can’t happen because Cruise is currently busy filming the untitledMission: Impossiblefilm.
Cruise is reportedly developing a new action franchise with frequent collaborator, Christopher McQuarrie, a musical, something withTropic Thunder’s Les Grossman, a possibleEdge of Tomorrowsequel, and a space-set project with director Doug Liman.
Beyond that, however, the actor has other projects lined up. Cruise is reportedly developing a new action franchise with frequent collaborator, Christopher McQuarrie, a musical,something withTropic Thunder’s Les Grossman, a possibleEdge of Tomorrowsequel, and a space-set project with director Doug Liman. I am excited about many of these endeavors, but they may besignificantly delaying his return as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Having all these moving pieces for its lead actor and primary creative force makes planning the release date for the threequel complicated.
Glen Powell & Miles Teller’s New Updates Makes It More Difficult To Do Top Gun
Powell & Teller’s Schedules Will Also Have To Be Considered For Top Gun 3’s Release Date
Despite theories about him being sidelined in the next film in the burgeoning franchise, it has been confirmed thatTop Gun 3will still be about Maverick. But it would be unwise to think that there would be no expectations for the threequel to continue Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw and Jake “Hangman” Seresin’s story. With that in mind, I am concerned thatMiles Teller and Glen Powell’s recent career updates will make gettingTop Gun3 off the ground more difficult.
Between Powell’s recent popularity surge after the success of Netflix’sHit Manand Teller bookingAn Officer and A Gentlemanremake, it’s safe to say that they will also be busy with their respective projects in the next couple of years.
Initially, Paramount only had to cater to Cruise’s schedule, but not anymore. Between Powell’s recent popularity surge after the success of Netflix’sHit Manand Teller bookingAn Officer and A Gentlemanremake, it’s safe to say that they will also be busy with their respective projects in the next couple of years. The studio would be lucky if Cruise’s schedule lines up with his contemporaries, but what if it doesn’t? ThenTop Gun 3would be further delayed compared to if it was only catering to one actor’s work roster.
Considering the lack of certainty in Cruise’s schedule based on all the endeavors he is reportedly working on, it would be unfair to ask Miles and Hangman to hang back and just wait untilTop Gun 3’s filming starts. Powell has finally been getting his career due, and it would be unwise for him to slow down right now. Meanwhile, Teller is stepping into a high-profile project, playing one of Richard Gere’s most memorable characters.
Why Top Gun 3 Can’t Happen Without Hangman & Rooster
Hangman & Rooster Are The Next Generation Of Pilots That Can Front The Top Gun Franchise
While Cruise’s Maverick will be the primary protagonist ofTop Gun3, it cannot happen without both Rooster and Hangman. If Paramount is looking to take advantage ofTop Gun’s popularity and continue it for years to come, it needs to start a transition between its legacy character and his rightful successors. Top Gun 3 is the perfect time to start this process after theending ofTop Gun: Maverickwhere Mitchell is back in the Navy’s good graces. As much as I would want Cruise to continue playing the role, he unfortunately cannot do it forever.
Top Gun: Maverick
Cast
Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 original film starring Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a top-tier pilot in the Navy. Thirty years after the original film’s events, Maverick is asked to head up a section of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things become personal when the program includes the son of Maverick’s late friend, forcing him to confront his past.
