What did Paramount have to announce at their CinemaCon presentation today? Well, Variety has a report about the biggest news Paramount dropped: the studio’s film co-head Josh Greenstein said that “Top Gun 3” is a go, and that Tom Cruise is officially returning as Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Also back: producer Jerry Bruckheimer. However, no word yet if Glen Powell, Miles Teller, and other members of the “Top Gun: Maverick” ensemble will return, too.
Now, this is big news, but is it surprising news? Not really, as Joseph Kosinski‘s 2022 mega-blockbuster is Paramount’s highest-grossing movie in the studio’s history (and the most lucrative in Cruise’s very lengthy, very commercially successful filmography). Add in the fact that news of a sequel in development has been circulating since early 2024, and that co-screenwriter/Cruise’s new regular director Christopher McQuarrie hinted last year that he “cracked” the story for the sequel, and this announcement basically confirms what “Top Gun” fans already knew. Still, the excitement remains. Expect Paramount to pull out all of the stops for “Top Gun 3.”
All of that said, Greenstein’s “Top Gun 3” announcement at CinemaCon was barebones. Mainly, he didn’t confirm who would direct the sequel. McQuarrie is writing, along with fellow “Maverick” co-scribe Ehren Kruger, but he’s not officially on board behind the camera. As for other potential returning “Maverick” cast, Powell is a safe bet, given hints he’s made the past couple of years, but Paramount had nothing conclusive on that front. Other ensemble members, like Lewis Pullman, Monica Barbaro, and Danny Ramirez, are bigger stars than they were when the film hit theaters on Memorial Day 2022, and therefore, they may be harder to pin down schedule-wise. So, much remains a mystery about this sequel, even if it’s confirmed it’ll hit theaters in the next couple of years.
“Top Gun: Maverick” was the second highest-grossing film of 2022 at $1.496 billion worldwide, behind James Cameron‘s “Avatar: The Way Of Water.” Kosinski’s film earned raves from critics, many of whom praised it not just as a worthy successor to the 1986 original but also as a superior cinematic experience overall. Along with previously named cast, “Maverick” also stars Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Charles Parnell, Ed Harris, Jay Ellis, Greg Tarzan Davis, Manny Jacinto, and Bashir Salahuddin. The blockbuster is also the final film role of the late Val Kilmer, who played Maverick’s nemesis, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, in the 1986 film.
But what else did Paramount announce at CinemaCon? Surprisingly, a new “World War Z” film is in development. Movie fans will remember that David Fincher was supposed to helm a sequel to the 2013 original before it was scrapped in 2019. In that case, a little surprising that the studio greenlights a new film now, thirteen years after the IP first hit theaters.
Additionally, Paramount has a release date for Taylor Sheridan and Peter Berg‘s “Call Of Duty” movie: that film will hit theaters on June 30, 2028. Look for casting news for this project soon.
As for a theatrical release date for “Top Gun 3”? It may be sooner than anyone thinks, as Cruise doesn’t have anything officially lined up after “Digger.” Stay tuned on that front.
