Buckle up and prepare for lift off as Tom Cruise is set to take to the skies for another Top Gun movie.
The record-breaking success of Top Gun: Maverick led to Tom Cruise being hailed as the saviour of Hollywood following the Covid-19 pandemic, so unsurprisingly speculation of a follow-up took flight soon after the sequel’s release in 2022.
Cruise is more in demand than ever, with the Hollywood star just having signed a big bucks deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to star and produce in movies for the studio. But luckily for fans of Mission: Impossible and Top Gun – both produced by Paramount – the pact doesn’t seem to be exclusive.
It’s still very early days on the next instalment, and any kind of green light is still a distance away, but here’s all we know so far about Top Gun 3.
Is Top Gun 3 happening?
Yes! Probably! Speculation of a threequel has been soaring ever since Top Gun: Maverick flew full throttle to the top of the box office, raking in over $1.5billion. Now we finally have confirmation that a follow-up is in development, with The Hollywood Reporter claiming that Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger is penning a script, with director Joseph Kosinski also set to return.
When will Top Gun 3 be released?
While it certainly won’t be another 36-year wait between movies, don’t expect to see Maverick, Rooster and the gang fly back to the big screen until at least 2026 at the very earliest.
Cruise is currently working on a follow-up to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, which is scheduled for release in May 2025, so it’s unlikely filming will take off until then.
What is Top Gun 3 about and who is in the cast?
There isn’t much to go on at this stage and likely won’t be until filming gets airborne.
One thing for certain – as if there was ever any doubt – is that Tom Cruise will be back as Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, a former pilot who is now mentor and leader to the new generation of fighter pilots.
Given that he’d previously let slip that a follow-up was in the works, expect to see Miles Teller return as Lieutenant Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw, the son of Maverick’s late best friend, Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw. Glen Powell is also expected to return as Lieutenant Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin.
While full casting confirmation will come ahead of filming, expect to also see the return of Jennifer Connelly as Maverick’s love interest, Penny, and Jon Hamm as Vice Admiral Beau ‘Cyclone’ Simpson, the commander of Naval Air Forces.
How can I watch Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick?
If you want to get up to speed (pardon the pun) with the Top Gun action, then there’s several streaming services to look to.
Paramount+ is home to both Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick on both sides of the pond, with the movies also available on Sky Cinema and Now in the UK and in the US both Top Gun flicks are available to rent on Amazon, Apple TV and YouTube.
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