Sequel to Tom Cruise’s Highest-Grossing Movie Confirmed as Paramount Skydance Top Priority

Top Gun: Maverick, the 2022 action drama starring Tom Cruise, became a huge hit for Paramount and Skydance.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie from a story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks, the movie follows Maverick as he faces his past while training young Top Gun graduates for a risky mission. The cast includes Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmer in his final film role.

The movie premiered at CinemaCon on April 28, 2022, and hit theaters in the U.S. on May 27. Critics loved it, with many saying it was even better than the original 1986 Top Gun. The American Film Institute named it one of the top-ten films of 2022, and it earned six Academy Award nominations, winning Best Sound. Top Gun: Maverick made $1.496 billion worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing movie of 2022 and the biggest hit of Tom Cruise’s career.

Now, a sequel is officially in development. At a recent event, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison said that Top Gun 3 is “a top priority at the studio,” and he added that he would keep working with Cruise as long as the actor wants to make movies with him. “One of our biggest priorities is restoring Paramount as the No. 1 destination for the most talented artists and filmmakers in the world,” Ellison said. “Great filmmakers make great movies.”

Miles Teller has been pushing for a sequel as well. In May 2022, he revealed he had been pitching a follow-up called Top Gun: Rooster, focused on his character. By July, Teller said he had been talking with Cruise about the project. In January 2024, reports confirmed that the sequel is in development, and in May 2025, Christopher McQuarrie confirmed he is writing Top Gun 3.

The film looks set to continue the story of Maverick while giving new characters a chance to shine, and with Paramount and Skydance backing it as a top priority, fans can expect it to be a major release when it arrives.

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