Will there be a top gun 4

Who would have thought Top Gun: Maverickwould be as critically beloved as it turned out to be? We gave it four stars, and the long-delayed sequel currently holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

With all that critical success, it's hard to imagine a third Top Gun movie not being greenlit. While it took 36 years for Top Gun 2 to get made, we feel fairly safe in saying that if (and bear in mind, nothing has been confirmed) a third film does happen, it won't take another three decades.

But if a third Top Gun movie did happen, here's what we can speculate about regarding the cast, plot, and more. If you somehow still haven't seen Maverick (we recommend you do!) then a fair warning as spoilers follow.

tom cruise plays capt pete "maverick" mitchell in top gun maverick

Scott GarfieldParamount

Top Gun 3 plot: What could Top Gun 3 be about and how does Top Gun: Maverick impact it?

Last warning for Top Gun 2 spoilers!

Much like its predecessor, Top Gun: Maverick doesn't explicitly set up any further movie plans, but that doesn't mean there isn't drama to mine. Briefly: Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell returned to Top Gun to help train up a bunch of pilots in order to help them complete an extremely difficult mission: blowing up a uranium plant in a nearly impossible-to-reach spot.

Of course, after much to-ing and fro-ing, it is decided that Maverick is going to lead the pilots, and his team includes none other than Rooster Bradshaw, the son of his dearly departed best friend Goose. The main tension in the film comes from Rooster and Maverick's strained relationship – but don't fret, by the end, all is right!

Not only do the Top Gun pilots manage to successfully fly the mission, but no one dies. And, on top of it, Pete reunites with his love interest Penny (Jennifer Connelly) and they ride off into the sunset, quite literally.

miles teller plays lt bradley "rooster" bradshaw in top gun maverick from paramount pictures

Scott GarfieldParamount

All this to say there's no clear-cut answer to how a third film could see us back with Pete at Top Gun. A repeat of Top Gun 2's plot (where he has to train a new round of pilots/recruits) seems highly unlikely.

It wasn't confirmed whether the mission in Top Gun: Maverick would actually be Pete's last, but that was the general vibe – after all, he was grounded once by his superior 'Cyclone' (Jon Hamm) before pulling a stunt that saw him back in the cockpit again (oh, Mav!).

However, a third film could actually look at what retirement could mean for Maverick, and how he might struggle with civilian life (before inevitably being brought back on board OF COURSE).

Top Gun 3 potential release date: When could Top Gun 3 come out?

tom cruise in top gun maverick

SkydanceParamount

Hopefully not in another 36 years, because Tom Cruise would be 89 years old by then. While Harrison Ford has been able to continue making Indiana Jones films all the way up to 80, we can't imagine that's the plan for Top Gun 3.

There's always the chance the success of Top Gun: Maverick could mean a new Top Gun movie sooner rather than later, but for now, everything is purely speculative. For all we know, we could be looking at another 36 years!

Top Gun 3 cast: Who will return to Top Gun 3?

It's hard to imagine Top Gun without the man himself but never say never. A new film could very well focus on Miles Teller's Rooster.

Val Kilmer's Ice Man was killed off (not in a fiery plane crash), so he won't be reprising the role. However, as Top Gun: Maverick made sparse (and tasteful, we'd say) use of footage from the first film, there's no ruling out an appearance by Kilmer – or any other original Top Gun cast member – in flashback.

tom cruise, iceman, top gun maverick trailer

Paramount

As for the others, there's nothing stopping Jennifer Connelly from returning (especially if a third film focuses on Maverick's transition to civilian life and, ehem, step-fatherhood, perhaps?) nor the aforementioned Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, Monica Barbaro, Charles Parnell, Jay Ellis, Danny Ramirez, Greg Tarzan Davis, Manny Jacinto or Bashir Salahuddin.

Top Gun 3 trailer: Any Top Gun 3 footage yet?

We think you know the answer to this one already...

Given this is entirely speculative, there is obviously no Top Gun 3 footage. For now, you'll have to head to the cinema to fulfil your need for speed (or you know, watch Top Gun).

Top Gun: Maverick is available to watch on Sky Cinema, NOW and Virgin TV

Top Gun – 4K Ultra HD [Blu-ray] [2020] [Region Free]

Top Gun – 4K Ultra HD [Blu-ray] [2020] [Region Free]

Paramount amazon.co.uk

£18.99

Top Gun Maverick F/A-18 Hornet model plane

Top Gun Maverick F/A-18 Hornet model plane

Top Gun - Motion Picture Soundtrack (Special Expanded Edition)

Top Gun - Motion Picture Soundtrack (Special Expanded Edition)

Columbia/Legacy amazon.co.uk

£7.99

Top Gun Strategy Game

Top Gun Strategy Game

Prospero Hall amazon.co.uk

£13.65

Top Gun Volleyball Tournament 1986 mug

Top Gun Volleyball Tournament 1986 mug

Monopoly: Top Gun edition

Monopoly: Top Gun edition

Are they gonna make another Top Gun?

There is no official news of a Top Gun: Maverick sequel at this time. Given the film's massive box office success—making over $1.4 billion at the global box office, the kind of profit Hollywood hasn't seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic—it seems very likely that Paramount would greenlight Top Gun 3 in a heartbeat.

Is Tom Cruise in Top Gun 3?

As per a Screenrant report, it will be anything over a decade wait for the fans to witness Tom Cruise play Daredevil again in Top Gun 3. The reason behind isn't sad because the actor is immersed neck-deep in new projects.

Is Top Gun hit or flop?

The year's biggest hit, Top Gun: Maverick is refusing to slow down at the box office. The legacy sequel added $7 million domestically in its 11th weekend of release, taking its domestic total to $662 million. The film has made $690 million overseas, for a global box office haul of over $1.35 billion.