Top Gun: Maverick producer Jerry Bruckheimer suggests that Tom Cruise might be too busy for Top Gun 3 to happen. A sequel to the 1986 classic Top Gun: Maverick sees Cruise reprise his iconic role as the titular test pilot to train a new generation of fighter pilots for a dangerous mission.
The long-awaited sequel, released in theaters on May 27, has been a veritable box office phenomenon this year, grossing nearly $1.5 billion during its theatrical run. This immense success has led to speculation about another sequel, though the question always goes back to the answer that it is Cruise’s decision.
During a recent interview with THR, Bruckheimer responded to the question of whether Cruise wants to do Top Gun 3. The Top Gun: Maverick producer says that the action star might be too busy for another sequel in the foreseeable future, listing his various upcoming projects. Read what Bruckheimer said below:
He’s in the middle of shooting Mission: Impossible 8, and that’s his focus. Once he finishes, we can have a conversation. But then he goes up in space [for an untitled Universal movie] and something else. So I have no idea.
Every Upcoming Tom Cruise Movie
Though the Top Gun: Maverick producer’s response was somewhat disappointing, it is, unfortunately, a reality given Cruise’s incredible work ethic. For his next movie after Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise will once again reprise his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One, which has finished filming and is scheduled for a release next summer on July 14. As Bruckheimer mentions, Cruise is currently filming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part Two, which is already scheduled for a release on June 28, 2024.
After the one-two punch of Mission Impossible 7 and 8, which may or may not be Cruise’s sendoff from the franchise, he will finally head to space for an untitled Universal movie. Not much is known about Cruise’s space movie other than it will reunite the actor with Edge of Tomorrow and American Made director Doug Liman, will be made in partnership with Elon Musk’s company SpaceX and will film scenes with Cruise suspended in weightlessness onboard the International Space Station. However, there is no timeline for when they will attempt the ambitious feat.
When discussing Cruise’s upcoming projects, Bruckheimer mentions “something else,” which is more than likely the mystery project from Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie which he teased earlier this year. While Bruckheimer’s comments do not entirely rule out the possibility of Top Gun 3 happening, they strongly indicate that it won’t be for the foreseeable future if another sequel does happen. Hopefully, audiences won’t have to wait over 30 years as they did between Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick.