Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Read more
Tom Cruise will return to his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in a third Top Gun movie, Paramount confirmed at CinemaCon this week.
The 61-year-old action star first played the character in 1986’s Top Gun and returned in 2022 for Top Gun: Maverick, which was a massively successful box office hit grossing $1.496 billion worldwide.
Now, Varietyreports that Paramount have announced that Cruise and producer Jerry Bruckheimer will both return to the franchise.
Top Gun: Maverick screenwriter Ehren Kruger is already at work on a script, while it has previously been reported that the studio plans for director Joseph Kosinski to return and for Cruise to reunite with his co-stars Glen Powell and Miles Teller.
While it’s no surprise that Paramount would look to repeat the success of Top Gun: Maverick, the news caused some eyebrows to be raised in Hollywood as Cruise signed a new deal with rival studio Warner Bros. in 2024. The two companies are currently in the midst of a high-profile merger, which has been opposed by some actors and directors.
Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (Paramount Pictures)
Cruise will develop and star in films for Warner Bros, but the contract is non-exclusive so the star can continue working on Top Gun 3 at Paramount regardless of the status of the merger.
As well as being a commercial hit, Top Gun: Maverick was also nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. At the time, Steven Spielberg said he was “encouraged” to see the blockbuster on the shortlist along with Avatar: The Way of Water.
“I’m really encouraged by that,” said the legendary ET director. “[But] it came late for the film that should have been nominated a number of years ago, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.
“That movie would have definitely garnered a Best Picture Nomination today, so having these two blockbusters solidly presented on the top 10 list is something we should all be celebrating.”
In her four-star review of Top Gun: Maverick for The Independent, film critic Clarisse Loughrey wrote: “The film is a true legacy sequel. In the tradition of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it’s a carefully reconstructed clone of its predecessor, tooled not only to reflect changing tastes and attitudes, but the ascendancy of its star Tom Cruise to a level of fame that borders on the mythological. Do we still think of Cruise as a man these days, or as an idea?”
She added: “But Top Gun: Maverick really isn’t packed with the kind of craven nostalgia that we’re used to these days. It’s smarter, subtler, and wholly more humanistic.”