Here's When We Might See Top Gun 3 According To Paramount Boss Brian Robbins
After three decades of waiting, "Top Gun: Maverick" is flying high with audiences. The sequel to the 1986 Tom Cruise classic "Top Gun," "Maverick" sees the return of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Cruise) to the TOPGUN program in order to train a new class of hot-headed young fighter pilots to prepare them for an imposing threat.
The film has smashed box office records left and right following its release over the 2022 Memorial Day weekend. It opened to an earth-shattering $160 million worldwide, making it the highest-opening Memorial Day release in Hollywood history to date (via Box Office Mojo). "Top Gun: Maverick" has only continued to hit it big, earning $90 million on its second weekend. In addition, it had the lowest ever ticket sale drop for a film that debuted at $100 million or more, declining only 29% in its second weekend. Just for context, similarly massive COVID-era blockbusters "Spider-Man: No Way Home," "The Batman," and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" all dropped by at least 50% on their second weekend (via Variety). It doesn't hurt that the film has also been lauded by critics and audiences alike, with a rip-roaring 97% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.
With the sequel's commercial and critical success confirmed, it seems like it would be a no-brainer for Paramount to get another "Top Gun" film in the works, right? Well, it looks like Paramount has a slightly different attitude right now.
Paramount has no need to speed towards a threequel any time soon
In a recent interview with Variety, the head of Paramount's film studio, Brian Robbins, was asked if plans for a "Top Gun 3" were on the table. Robbins responded, "Let's see where we are 35 years from now. I don't want to speculate. This is an incredible run. The sky is the limit for this movie." While this may sound odd considering the success of "Top Gun: Maverick," it's easy to forget that "Top Gun," the highest-grossing movie of 1986 (via Box Office Mojo), would have a lengthy development process for its sequel.
A sequel had been in development since at least 2010, with the film's original director, Tony Scott, slated to helm the picture (via The Guardian). It would go through various concepts until the death of Scott in August 2012 (via CNN), which left the project in the air. Thankfully, following a fortuitous meeting between Cruise and then-prospective director Joseph Kosinski (via The Hollywood Reporter), the "TRON: Legacy" helmer would take the reins and create the film we have today. There was also the production of "Top Gun: Maverick" itself, which was certainly no lightweight effort. The crew faced big challenges with shooting (via Independent) and its release scheduling (via AP News), so diving back into such an extraneous experience will take time.
However, Robbins does bring up an interesting point in his Variety interview when asked about Paramount's plans moving forward for their productions, saying that he wants to push for developing strong franchises from their beloved properties alongside talented filmmakers. Could "Top Gun" become a big, multi-film franchise for Paramount? We can only wait for what the future holds. For now, we will happily soar with "Top Gun: Maverick."