Paramount Officially Confirms Top Gun 3

Top Gun 3 officially in development, Paramount announces Paramount Pictures confirmed Thursday that a third installment of the Top Gun franchise is officially in development, with Tom Cruise set to reprise his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. The announcement came during CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where Paramount co-president Josh Greenstein stated that the sequel is “officially in development” and that its script is “well underway.” While Cruise did not attend the presentation in person, he appeared in a video shown at the opening of the event. In the clip, the 63-year-old actor is seen standing atop the iconic Hollywood studio water tower, saying, “The future looks bright from up here.” The original Top Gun, released in 1986, launched Cruise into stardom. Its 2022 sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, grossed $1.5 billion worldwide as Hollywood continued its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison too used the occasion to announce a 45-day theatrical window for the studio’s films before they move to streaming, a decision tied to the ongoing merger with Warner Bros. Ellison said the combined company plans to produce at least 30 films per year once the merger is complete, adding, “Long live movies.” Paramount Skydance revealed in February that it had acquired Warner Bros. For $111 billion, ending a prolonged rivalry with Netflix. Industry analysts have warned that the consolidation could reduce investment in film production, potentially affecting tens of thousands of jobs, particularly in California.