Top Gun 3 Officially Confirmed With Tom Cruise Returning; Script Underway

Paramount Pictures has confirmed Top Gun 3 at CinemaCon 2026 in Las Vegas. Josh Greenstein, Paramount’s co-head, announced that scripting for Top Gun 3 is currently underway. The third instalment will mark Hollywood star Tom Cruise's return as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger was hired to write a script two years ago.

The third part will be a direct follow-up to Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick (2022), a sequel to Tony Scott’s Top Gun (1986). It is yet to be confirmed who will helm the upcoming instalment.

Top Gun 3 announced

As per a report in The Hollywood Reporter, Greenstein, at CinemaCon 2026, said, “Top Gun 3 is officially in development with a script well underway, reuniting Tom Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer (co-producer of both the Top Gun movies).”

Earlier, Bruckheimer told PEOPLE in 2024 that they were already working on Top Gun 3, two years after the release of Top Gun: Maverick. “We pitched Tom (Cruise) a story he liked. But he’s a very in-demand actor, and he’s got a lot of movies lined up. So, we have to wait and see,” he said.

What Tom Cruise said about Top Gun 3

Earlier, while promoting Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025), the 63-year-old told TODAY, “We’re thinking and talking about many different stories and what could we do and what’s possible.” Cruise also said that it took him 35 years to figure out Top Gun: Maverick.

About Top Gun: Maverick

Maverick also starred Miles Teller and Glen Powell. It was Val Kilmer’s final film appearance. He passed away in April 2025. It was a huge blockbuster at the box office, earning $1.5 billion globally.

The film earned six Oscar nominations, including best picture.