The year was 2022 and the theatres were suffering due to the pandemic the world was in. They found their savior in Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick which made over a billion dollars at the box office. The film stayed in the number one spot for months before being dethroned by Avatar: The Way of Water in December. Regardless, Top Gun: Maverick was the breath of fresh air that theatres and film enthusiasts were in dire need of.
Given the success and popularity of the film, it goes without saying that fans expected a sequel soon after its release. When director Joseph Kosinski was asked about a third film back in 2022, he was very upfront and honest about the checklist they would have to fulfill in order to bring another sequel to life.
Joseph Kosinski on Top Gun 3
Joseph Kosinski sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter where he was asked if Top Gun: Maverick’s unbelievable success meant that it would be getting a follow-up story anytime soon.
Kosinski did not sugarcoat his answer and stated that if a third film was going to be made with Tom Cruise as a part of it, things would have to fall perfectly in line. Meaning, they would have to find a story that is worth telling and would do justice to the franchise.
In the director’s own words,
No, I think if another movie were to happen, it would happen very much in the same way that this one did, which is coming up with a story for Maverick that absolutely has to be told. We’re all enjoying the release of this movie because it was such a long journey. It was five years for me and 35 years for Jerry [Bruckheimer] and Tom.
So we’re all just enjoying the response that this film’s gotten. And maybe down the road, if we come up with a story that feels like it absolutely has to happen, then maybe it will, but right now, I think we’re all just enjoying the relief of getting this one out the door.
It’s clear that Maverick’s sequel would bring in loads of money for the studio and while it may seem like a cash grab at first, Kosinski’s words are enough proof that the team was not going to reunite until or unless they could do justice to the story and the characters.
Top Gun 3 is in the Works with Tom Cruise Set to Return
If you have been living under a rock for some time now, put your oxygen masks on as Top Gun 3 was officially confirmed in January 2024. Of course, it is still too soon to finalize a release date for the anticipated sequel but it looks like it will be a while before we hear any more updates regarding the film.
Talking to Screen Rant a few months ago, producer Jerry Bruckheimer stated that no one knows how and when it will all come together and since Cruise is an actor who is in high demand, it’s uncertain when he will be ready to make another Top Gun.
It’s hard to tell. You don’t know, you really don’t know. You don’t know how they come together. You just don’t know. Because with Top Gun you have an actor who is iconic and brilliant. And how many movies he does before he does Top Gun, I can’t tell you.
As for the sequel’s story, Bruckheimer confirmed that Kosinski has an idea that both he and Cruise love. But again, thanks to Cruise’s hectic schedule, nothing can be said with certainty. Well, at least we know that there won’t be a sequel without the superstar.
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.
We would definitely love to see the cast reunite in the third film. Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jennifer Connelly, and everyone else along with a few new faces, of course!
While we know nothing about the sequel just yet, we can say with confidence that Kosinski and Cruise’s reunion will once again light the box office on fire.
Top Gun: Maverick can be streamed on Paramount+.
