Tom Cruise Drops Unexpected Update On Third 'Top Gun' Movie

Tom Cruise might be cooking something up with a potential third "Top Gun" movie.

"Top Gun: Maverick" - a sequel to the original 1986 film - hit theaters in May 2022, and earned nearly $1.5 billion at the box office around the globe.

The film was the first mega-blockbuster after theaters were crippled during the COVID-19 pandemic. It got people back out to theaters, and was a smashing success by all metrics.

Tom Cruise teases potential third "Top Gun" movie.

There's been chatter since "Top Gun: Maverick" that a third movie would eventually happen, but there's been no concrete evidence. Now, the man responsible for playing Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is keeping the door wide open for a third movie.

Cruise said the following on Australia’s "Today," according to Deadline:

"Yeah, we’re thinking and talking about many different stories and what could we do and what’s possible," he teased on Australia’s Today. "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…There’s numerous other films that we’re actively working on right now. I’m always shooting a film, prepping a film, posting a film. I just finished a film with Alejandro Iñárritu too, who did The Revenant, and we’ll be coming out with that. That was an extraordinary experience and [Christopher McQuarrie] and I are always working on several different films."

Tom Cruise has starred in two "Top Gun" movies. (Photo by Paramount Pictures/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

Seeing as how much money "Top Gun: Maverick" made during its run in theaters, it's hard to imagine that everyone involved won't want to cash in again.

There's also a very obvious plot for a third movie. Neither film has ever named the villain, but it's pretty obvious. The bad guys in "Top Gun" were communists and it was clearly Iran being bombed in "Top Gun: Maverick."

The plot for the third movie should be about China invading Taiwan and dogfights over the Taiwan Strait. It's timely, realistic and would provide for a lot of epic action sequences.

It's a billion dollar idea that I'm giving to Tom Cruise for free.

Tom Cruise is leaving the door open for a third "Top Gun" movie. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

Hopefully, Cruise is able to give fans a third "Top Gun" movie. People are craving solid entertainment, and judging from the success of "Maverick," it will print money. Let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.