Tom Cruise has confirmed that a Top Gun: Maverick sequel is very much on the table.
During a recent appearance on Australia’s Today show, the 62-year-old actor said he and the creative team have been “thinking and talking about many different stories” for where the franchise could go next.
Cruise, who played the iconic Navy pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in both the original 1986 Top Gun and its 2022 legacy sequel, explained that developing Top Gun: Maverick took 35 years, so they’re not rushing. He revealed they’re exploring multiple directions for the sequel while also discussing the possibility of a Days of Thunder revival.
“It took me 35 years to figure out Top Gun: Maverick, so all of these things we’re working on, we’re discussing Days of Thunder and Top Gun: Maverick,” Cruise said.
In addition to his Top Gun projects, Cruise is working on “numerous other films.” One of the biggest is a new movie directed by Alejandro Iñárritu, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind The Revenant. Cruise described the experience as “extraordinary.” He’s also continuing to collaborate with Christopher McQuarrie, director of Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning, on multiple upcoming projects.
“I’m always shooting a film, prepping a film, posting a film,” Cruise said. “There’s numerous other films that we’re actively working on right now.”
Top Gun: Maverick followed Maverick as he returned to train the next generation of elite pilots. The film introduced new faces like Miles Teller’s Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Glen Powell’s Jake “Hangman” Seresin, and Lewis Pullman’s Robert “Bob” Floyd. It also reunited Maverick with his old rival-turned-friend Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, played by Val Kilmer.
Kilmer’s return to the role was one of the most talked-about moments in the film, especially given the actor’s real-life health battles. Kilmer passed away last month at age 65 from complications related to pneumonia. Cruise called their scene together “very special.”
“To come back all those years later… we were laughing, and then we started acting, and you saw it. He became ‘Iceman,’” Cruise said in an interview with Sight and Sound. “Even not saying anything, just a sniff, and he was back.”
Interestingly, Kilmer almost didn’t take the original role. “He didn’t want to be a supporting role,” Cruise explained. “I was calling his agent, Tony Scott was chasing him, even met him in an elevator. We were begging him to join. And look at what he gave us. That charisma, that tone, he just knew how to play it.”
While a release date for the Top Gun Maverick sequel hasn’t been announced, fans can rest easy knowing Maverick’s story is far from over.
