- Top Gun 3 was announced January 2024
- As of February 2025 script is still being developed
- Ed Harris doubts he’ll reprise his role for third Top Gun movie
Tom Cruise reprised the iconic role of Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick – a sequel more than three decades in the making. But why stop there? A Top Gun Trilogy has a mighty ring to it, after all.
Read more: Top Gun 3 Confirmed To Be In The Works
In January 2024, the announcement came of a third instalment from Deadline, revealing that it is officially in development. This didn’t come as a surprise to anybody, as Top Gun: Maverick is the highest grossing movie of Cruise’s career at $1.49 billion and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture.
Read more: How Top Gun: Maverick inspired James Gunn’s Superman
As the jets prepare to soar into the danger zone once again, fans are eager to know what’s next for Maverick and the crew – here’s everything we know so far about Top Gun 3.
Who is going to star in Top Gun 3?
Top Gun isn’t Top Gun without Tom Cruise. Need we say more.
Cruise is not only on board, but he’ll be reuniting with Miles Teller (who played Lt. Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw) and Glen Powell (who portrayed Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin) for the blockbuster movie.
Bradshaw revealed to Collider that he’s counting on Cruise for a heads up to get in shape for the movie, commenting “All I know is that Tom has said that, since he’s the first to know, he’ll give me enough time to get back into Top Gun shape. And that’s all I asked”.
Jerry Bruckheimer is coming back as a producer for the film, while it’s reported that Ehren Kruger who co-wrote Top Gun: Maverick is on writing duties again.
Further details around casting remain sparse at this stage, but four-time Oscar nominee and acclaimed actor Ed Harris has confirmed he is unlikely to return as Rear Admiral Chester ‘Hammer’ Cain. Speaking with JOE, when asked about reprising the role, he said “Oh, I doubt it. Yeah, no. I don’t see why they would ask me”.
What is the Top Gun 3 story going to be about?
The ending to Top Gun: Maverick ended on a high. Maverick completed a high-stakes mission and looked to have a blossoming relationship with Penny Benjamin, all while teaching a new generation of pilots, including Rooster. It doesn’t scream sequel, but his role as a mentor to young pilots could be key to the follow-up.
There are no official plot details yet, as Top Gun 3 is still in the early stages of development. However, Admiral Cain’s vision to replace human pilots with a drone armada – hinted at in the 2022 film – could clash with Maverick’s commitment to mentoring traditional fighter pilots.
Jay Ellis, who plays Reuben ‘Payback’ Fitch, spoke to Variety at the Indie Spirit Awards. When asked for an update on developments, he replied “They’re diligently working on the script and wanting to get it right. Tom was very discerning. It took a while to make Top Gun: Maverick for a reason. He wanted it to be right, he wanted to push film forward, he wanted to be able to film in the jets. So I think when we look at whatever the next iteration of this franchise is, it’s gonna be that. Tom’s gonna take his time. He’s gonna get it right.”
Ellis didn’t confirm if he’s reprising his role, but when asked about whether he is keeping his schedule free, he replied “Well, yeah, there is a thing of like, ‘well, when are we going? Can I get this thing in? Can I go do this thing?’”.
When is it coming out?
With script writing ongoing as of February 2025 and Cruise’s well-documented need for perfection, there’s no real telling when the film is going to be released.
The story and production is taking its time, which can only be a good thing for Top Gun’s blockbuster third outing.
We’ll cover all the latest developments as they happen, but in the meantime, you can watch Top Gun: Maverick by streaming it on Apple TV.
