The Big Picture

• Tom Cruise's star power shines in Top Gun: Maverick, with the film grossing $1.4 billion and earning rave reviews.
• Producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirms Cruise will return as Maverick for Top Gun 3, with a promising story in the works.
• Top Gun: Maverick won Best Sound at the Oscars and is available to stream on Paramount+.

Inspired by producer and star Tom Cruise, Paramount's Top Gun: Maverick powered up its jet engines and made a rapid climb up the ladder of success in what was a thrilling sequel to the beloved original 1986 film, Top Gun. Described by some as the film that “saved Hollywood,” after the effects of the pandemic on the entertainment industry, the action sequel grossed an astonishingly impressive run, $1.4 billion at the global box office. Given the heights of success Top Gun: Maverick attained, it came as no surprise when it was announced that a third movie was in development with Cruise returning as the titular character, Maverick.

While it might seem a bit too soon for a third installment in the franchise, given it took 36 years for Maverick to arrive after Tony Scott's 1986 original film, Top Gun 3 already has a story in the wings. Speaking with ScreenRant in an interview promoting his latest project, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Top Gun: Maverick producer Jerry Bruckheimer provided an update on the third installment's story and production timeline.

Bruckheimer confirmed that there is a "wonderful story" on the ground that Cruise "really" likes. The producer then confirms that Cruise will be back in the cockpit as Maverick once more. Bruckheimer's comments in full read:

"It will be Tom Cruise. Tom is amazing. We spent time with him. We have a story. Joe Kosinski had a wonderful story idea for it, and he (Tom Cruise) said I really like that, so we’re developing it. But you never know when it’s going to get made because Tom is so busy. He’s doing Mission: Impossible right now, he’s got a picture after it. Hopefully, we’ll get a screenplay that he loves, and we’ll be back in the air again."

Tom Cruise Still Has Star Power

Top Gun: Maverick holds a 96% critic rating and an audience score of 99% on the review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes. Joseph Kosinski helmed the feature with a screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie. The film went on to bag six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Achievement in Film Editing, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song), Best Sound, and Best Achievement in Visual Effects.

Top Gun: Maverick went on to claim the gong for Best Sound, further cementing Cruise's star power. Top Gun 3 likely means a return for Miles Teller as Rooster and Glen Powell as Hangman alongside Cruise's Maverick, and while there might have been suggestions that Cruise might not return, it seems scheduling might be the only challenge left to navigate.

Top Gun: Maverick is currently streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.

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