Updates about Top Gun 3 or any Top Gun spinoff news will not be arriving soon. Talks of a potential Top Gun 3 have been awhirl pretty much since this year’s sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, was released in May. Despite being released over 30 years after the original, Top Gun: Maverick saw startling success with fans and critics alike. It is the highest-grossing movie at the worldwide box office so far this year, and continues to break records even months after its main theatrical run.
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This has led many fans to speculate about the prospect of an additional Top Gun sequel. The potential Top Gun 3 has received some promising updates, and some less promising ones, from its cast and crew. Back in June, Paramount CEO Brian Robbins cautioned that the studio should wait to ride out the success of Maverick before talking about a sequel. The following month, Maverick star Miles Teller expressed enthusiasm for a sequel, but let fans know that it was all up to Tom Cruise to determine whether that would happen. Soon after that, the news broke that Cruise had four big films lined up. This left many skeptical as to what that meant for Top Gun 3, and whether those shoots would preclude Cruise from participating in another Top Gun film in the coming years.
Now, reporter and Hollywood insider Matthew Belloni explains why the news about the possible Top Gun 3 has not yet arrived on his podcast The Town. Despite the hope for a Top Gun sequel swirling among film fans, as far as Belloni knows, “there are not currently any discussions about a sequel,” nor any other spinoff of the Top Gun universe. According to his sources, Top Gun 3 will be up to Cruise to approve, and the actor is currently busy with Mission: Impossible 7 & 8. Check out the full quote below:
Top Gun, obviously it’s up to Tom Cruise, what he wants to do. I am told that there are not currently any discussions about a sequel, or about a television spinoff, or any other exploitation of Top Gun beyond what’s already out there. The decision will come down to Tom Cruise, and he is right now focused on the Mission: Impossible movies, and getting those ready. So people who want a green light on a sequel, they’re not going to get it right away.
A Top Gun 3 Movie Is Still Not Out Of The Question
Belloni’s logic expands upon existing concerns about the prospect of a Top Gun sequel. The statement confirms nearly exactly what Teller said back in July, in claiming that it would all be up to Cruise. With more Mission: Impossible films on the horizon shortly, Cruise’s schedule will certainly be packed with other blockbuster endeavors. Thus, it may take a while still for Cruise to make a decision about his involvement in another major blockbuster like Top Gun, hence why Belloni arrives at the ultimate conclusion that a “green light on a sequel” will not arrive “right away,” even if it does ultimately happen.
If Cruise and Paramount do decide to return to the Top Gun well, the pressing question for fans will be if the project is still about Maverick. On the one hand, Cruise and his return to the franchise after decades may be too essential for the series to pass on. On the other, Top Gun: Maverick introduced a litany of new characters, including Teller’s much-beloved Rooster. These characters and new ones could exist on their own, without the star power of Cruise. Fans of the original Top Gun are used to waiting for more, given the 36-year gap between Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick, but creatives will be wondering if audiences would still show interest in the franchise if Cruise's Maverick isn't a major part of the next installment.