‘Top Gun 3’ gets big update at CinemaCon and it involves Tom Cruise, Emmy-winning producer
Tom Cruise is feeling the need... the need for speed again as the actor is gearing up to step into his iconic role as Lt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell for the third time in 'Top Gun 3.' Paramount made the exciting announcement during its CinemaCon presentation on Thursday, and also added that Jerry Bruckheimer will produce the upcoming movie. Josh Greenstein, the co-head of Paramount film, said at the event, "Top Gun 3 officially in development with a script well underway, reuniting Tom Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer." The Cruise-Bruckheimer partnership led to the first two films in the franchise, 'Top Gun' in 1986 and 'Top Gun: Maverick' in 2022. So, fans can't wait to see what they have in store for the third installment.
The project has been in development at Paramount for years, with Ehren Kruger, who co-wrote the script for 'Maverick,' tapped to write the screenplay in 2024. However, the plot details and cast updates for the upcoming sequel haven't been confirmed yet. 'Maverick' saw Cruise's pilot returning to his flight school after decades to mentor a young batch of pilots on a dangerous mission to destroy an unsanctioned uranium enrichment plant on foreign soil. Among the pilots is Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards). Nick was Pete's best friend, who died in the original movie.
For 'Maverick,' Cruise reunited with his 'Top Gun' co-star, Val Kilmer, who played Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky in the 1986 classic film. It marked Kilman's final film role as he passed away in April 2025. The film's ensemble cast also included Jennifer Connelly as Penelope 'Penny' Benjamin, Jon Hamm as Beau 'Cyclone' Simpson, Ed Harris as Chester 'Hammer' Cain, Charles Parnell as Solomon 'Warlock' Bates, Jean Louisa Kelly as Sarah Kazansky, Bashir Salahuddin as Bernie 'Hondo' Coleman, and others.
Furthermore, among the younger pilots Glen Powell starred as Jake 'Hangman' Seresin, Monica Barbaro as Natasha 'Phoenix' Trace, Lewis Pullman as Robert 'Bob' Floyd, Jay Ellis as Reuben 'Payback' Fitch, Danny Ramirez as Mickey 'Fanboy' Garcia, Manny Jacinto as Billy 'Fritz' Avalone, and Greg Tarzan Davis as Javy 'Coyote' Machado, Jake Picking as Brigham 'Harvard' Lennox, Jack Schumacher as Neil 'Omaha' Vikander, Kara Wang as Callie 'Halo' Bassett, Raymond Lee as Logan 'Yale' Lee, in addition to Teller.
Directed by Joe Kosinski, 'Maverick' became a blockbuster hit, earning $1.5 billion at the box office and marking Cruise's career's first $1 billion movie. It was also nominated for six awards, including 'Best Picture' at the 95th Academy Awards. The film's phenomenal success during the pandemic helped revive the film industry, and Steven Spielberg credited Cruise for saving the theatrical business following the COVID-19 lockdown.
