Top Gun 3 is happening – here's all you need to know (2025)

Top Gun 3 is officially happening, but we currently have no idea exactly when we'll be seeing Maverick return.

The threequel was confirmed to be in development at Paramount in January 2024 with Top Gun: Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger working on the script. It's also expected that the sequel's director Joseph Kosinski will return.

However, producer Jerry Bruckheimer doesn't think it'll happen anytime soon given that Tom Cruise is busy with other projects. "We have a story. Joe Kosinski had a wonderful story idea for it, and [Tom] said 'I really like that', so we're developing it," he told ScreenRant.

"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."

So as we wait for that to happen, here's everything you need to know about Top Gun 3.

Top Gun 3 might officially be in development, but Paramount has yet to confirm a release date for the new movie.

Hopefully, we won't have to wait another 36 years and not just because Cruise would be 89 years old by then (probably still doing stunts though). But as Bruckheimer suggested, he might be too busy right now for another Top Gun movie.

The sequel filmed for around a year, so even if filming somehow started this year, we probably wouldn't see it until 2026 at least.

Watch this space and we'll update whenever we hear more news.

Tom Cruise will, of course, be back as Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell, but it could well be in a smaller role with Miles Teller's Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw taking more of a lead.

Teller has already expressed his interest in returning for a third movie, saying in July 2022: "I've been having some conversations with him [Tom Cruise] about it. We'll see. That would be great, but that's all up to TC. It's all up to Tom."

Glen Powell also confirmed he'll be back as Jake 'Hangman' Seresin shortly after the movie was confirmed in January 2024.

Outside of those three though, it's unclear who will be back.

There's nothing stopping Jennifer Connelly from returning as Penny, now that Maverick has rekindled their relationship (especially if a third film focuses on Maverick's transition to civilian life and step-fatherhood).

Outside of them, we could also expect to see more from the sequel's batch of Top Gun elites, including Lewis Pullman as Robert 'Bob' Floyd and Monica Barbaro as Natasha 'Phoenix' Trace.

Jon Hamm could also return as Vice Admiral Beau 'Cyclone' Simpson, but he confirmed to ScreenRant in May 2024 that he had not yet had any official talks: "I don't think they're going to be lighting into production anytime soon, but I would certainly love to be back."

Val Kilmer's Iceman was killed off (not in a fiery plane crash), so he won't be reprising the role.

However, as Top Gun: Maverick made sparse (and tasteful, we'd say) use of footage from the first film, there's no ruling out an appearance by Kilmer – or any other original Top Gun cast member – in flashback.

Much like its predecessor, Top Gun: Maverick doesn't explicitly set up any further movie plans, but that doesn't mean there isn't drama to mine.

Briefly: Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell returned to Top Gun to help train up a bunch of pilots in order to help them complete an extremely difficult mission: blowing up a uranium plant in a nearly impossible-to-reach spot.

Of course, after much to-ing and fro-ing, it is decided that Maverick is going to lead the pilots, and his team includes none other than Rooster Bradshaw, the son of his dearly departed best friend Goose. The main tension in the film comes from Rooster and Maverick's strained relationship – but don't fret, by the end, all is right!

Not only do the Top Gun pilots manage to successfully fly the mission, but no one dies. And, on top of it, Pete reunites with his love interest Penny (Jennifer Connelly) and they ride off into the sunset, quite literally.

All this to say there's no clear-cut answer to how a third film could see us back with Pete at Top Gun. A repeat of Top Gun 2's plot (where he has to train a new round of pilots/recruits) seems highly unlikely.

It wasn't confirmed whether the mission in Top Gun: Maverick would actually be Pete's last, but that was the general vibe – after all, he was grounded once by his superior 'Cyclone' (Jon Hamm) before pulling a stunt that saw him back in the cockpit again (oh, Mav!).

However, a third film could actually look at what retirement could mean for Maverick, and how he might struggle with civilian life (before inevitably being brought back on board OF COURSE).

Alas, Top Gun 3 might be in development, but hasn't started filming, so there's no footage of the threequel yet.