Top Gun 3 is officially in the works, with Tom Cruise returning for another outing as Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell.
The announcement was made on Thursday during Paramount Pictures’ showcase at CinemaCon, the annual industry gathering in Las Vegas where Hollywood studios present their biggest upcoming films to cinema owners and press.
Paramount film co-head Josh Greenstein said Top Gun 3 was officially in development, with the script already well under way. He added that Cruise will reunite with producer Jerry Bruckheimer on the project.
The original Top Gun, released in 1986, helped propel Cruise to superstardom, while its 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick earned $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office.
Director Steven Spielberg previously credited Cruise with helping to bring audiences back to cinemas after the Covid-19 pandemic with the long-awaited sequel.
Cruise narrated a film used to open the event, focusing on the studio’s commitment to theatrical releases.
At the end of the clip, Cruise, seated atop the water tower on the studio lot, said: "The future looks great from here."
Also speaking at the presentation, Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison told attendees the studio would guarantee a 45-day theatrical window for its films before they move to streaming platforms.
"Once we combine with Warner Brothers, we’re going to make a minimum of 30 films annually," Ellison said. "Long live the movies."
Paramount has launched a $111 billion bid to take over Warner Bros, topping a rival offer from Netflix.
The studio’s upcoming slate also includes a film adaptation of the video game Call of Duty, due in cinemas in June 2028.
Attendees were also shown early footage from Heart of the Beast, a thriller starring Brad Pitt as a military veteran who must survive a plane crash in Alaska with his combat dog.
Johnny Depp also appeared to preview Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, a new adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic in which he plays Scrooge.
Source: AFP
