CinemaCon 2026: “Top Gun 3” Cleared for Takeoff With Tom Cruise Returning as Maverick
Tom Cruise once again has the need for speed.
Paramount confirmed that Top Gun 3 is officially in the works during their CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas, with producer Jerry Bruckheimer once again steering the franchise.
The film will be a sequel to director Joseph Kosinski’s 2022 juggernaut Top Gun: Maverick, with Maverick screenwriter Ehren Kruger returning to pen the third film. Maverick was a colossal hit for Paramount, reviving the industry that was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. It went on to gross $1.5 billion worldwide. It was such an important boost for the industry that Steven Spielberg himself praised Tom Cruise at the 2023 Oscars nominees luncheon for helping save Hollywood.
Maverick saw Cruise’s Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, 36 years after the defining era of his life, when he lost his best friend, Goose (Anthony Edwards). The original Top Gun ended with Maverick winning a dogfight against Russian MiG fighters, alongside his competitor-turned-ally, Iceman (Val Kilmer). Maverick began by establishing that our titular hero eschewed advancing in the military ranks, as Iceman did (he became an Admiral in the Navy), and instead became a test pilot. Yet, Mav is recruited back to the iconic Top Gun flight school to help teach a new crop of pilots, including Goose’s son, Rooster (Miles Teller), how to navigate a dangerous mission.
The cast included rising stars playing the new pilots—Glen Powell as Hangman, Lewis Pullman as Bob, Monica Barbaro as Phoenix, Danny Ramirez as Fanboy, Jay Ellis as Payback, Greg Tarzan Davis as Coyote, and Manny Jacinto as Fritz. They were joined by Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Charles Parnell, Ed Harris, and Bashir Salahuddin.
Maverick also included Kilmer’s final film role, with a moving scene between Maverick and Iceman in which the two old pilots embraced. Kilmer passed away in 2025.
Featured image: Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
