There appears to be no hard feelings at Paramount over Tom Cruise’s new deal with Warner Bros., because a third “Top Gun” movie is in the works.
Paramount didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap, but according to Puck News, which originally reported the film’s development, Ehren Kruger, screenwriter of 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” is working on it.
The film would also reportedly reunite Cruise with his “Top Gun: Maverick” costars Miles Teller and Glenn Powell, with that film’s director Joe Kosinski also aboard either as a director or producer. Naturally, Jerry Bruckheimer and David Ellison will produce.
“Top Gun: Maverick” was a massive success for Cruise and Paramount, earning nearly $1.5 billion, confirming not only the strong regard that still existed for the original 1986 movie, but also Cruise’s continued star power and box office draw in the post-COVID era.
On Jan. 9, Hollywood was rocked by the news that Cruise had signed a new first-look deal with Warner Bros. that begins once work on the next “Mission: Impossible” sequel is finished. Though the deal isn’t exclusive — Cruise doesn’t have an exclusive deal with any studio — it was nevertheless a surprise due to his longstanding association with Paramount via the blockbuster “Mission: Impossible” franchise and of course, the “Top Gun” sequel.
Cruise has worked with WB before on films such as “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Risky Business,” “Edge of Tomorrow,” “The Last Samurai” and “Interview With the Vampire.” Having returned to the studio, it makes sense he also didn’t slam any doors shut at Paramount.