Joseph Kosinski Teases Maverick’s Biggest Challenge Yet in ‘Top Gun 3’

Filmmaker Joseph Kosinski, who directed Top Gun: Maverick, recently opened up about his latest movie F1 and gave some hints about the much-anticipated Top Gun 3. After the huge success of Maverick, Kosinski took on the world of Formula One racing, bringing the excitement of real-life F1 races to the big screen with Brad Pitt and newcomer Damson Idris. But fans are eager to know what’s next for Maverick and the Top Gun series, and Kosinski didn’t hold back.

Kosinski explained that shooting F1 during actual Formula One events added an incredible realism. He said, “The scale and spectacle of a Formula One race is not something that I think you can stage with all of the money in the world.”

Having real drivers and cars in the background made the experience more authentic for audiences. But when it comes to Top Gun 3, Kosinski promises the story will be even bigger and more challenging.

He described the next Top Gun movie as dealing with a deep, existential crisis for Maverick. “It actually… I’m trying to describe it without giving anything away,” Kosinski laughed, “It’s an existential question that Maverick has to deal with, that would make Maverick feel small, I think, as a movie, compared to what we’re talking about.”

So, unlike the first two films which focused more on aerial action and passing the torch, the third one will explore something much larger and more personal for Tom Cruise’s character.

Even though Top Gun: Maverick felt like a way to hand the baton to a new generation, Kosinski says Maverick will still be very central in the next film. “There’s still more story to tell for him. There’s one last ride,” he said. The script is currently being written by Ehren Kruger, who also worked on F1, but Kosinski wants to make sure the story is strong before moving forward.

Fans of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise might also be curious about the possibility of the two stars working together again. Kosinski shared a fun idea about their characters possibly having a shared history. He imagined “Cole Trickle, who was [Cruise’s] Days of Thunder character, we find out that he and Sonny Hayes have a past. They were rivals at some point, maybe crossed paths…”

This idea came after hearing about a go-kart race between Pitt and Cruise on the set of Interview with a Vampire. Kosinski said, “Who wouldn’t pay to see those two go head-to-head on the track?”

On a related note, Kosinski also mentioned his respect for the James Bond franchise. When asked if he would want to direct a Bond movie, he said he grew up loving the series but admitted, “Usually they hire Brits to direct those movies.” For now, he is focused on the projects he’s developing but would love the chance to direct Bond as a fan.

After working on Top Gun: Maverick and F1, Kosinski clearly has a passion for making big, exciting films with real emotion behind them. His promise for Top Gun 3 is that it will not just be about action, but also a meaningful journey for Maverick, facing something bigger than anything before.

What do you think about the future of Top Gun? Are you excited to see Maverick face this new challenge? Share your thoughts below!