Summary and key points: Top Gun 3 is officially in the works and stars Tom Cruise, Glen Powell, Jennifer Connelly and Miles Teller will return. While details are scarce, filming has a start date, but the exact timing has not been announced.

-The immense cultural and financial success of Top Shooter: Maverick– the highest-grossing film of 2022 – was a testament to its strong resonance with audiences, celebrating American exceptionalism and traditional masculinity at a time when such themes were unpopular.

-Although it is uncertain whether Top Gun 3 can repeat this success, the film is highly anticipated and is expected to be another blockbuster hit.

Top Gun 3: What we know about the highly anticipated sequel

The success of Top Shooter: Maverick Top Gun 3 was almost certain and fans were speculating wildly about it. Now we know that Top Gun 3 has a release date. We know that stars from Maverick like Tom Cruise, Glen Powell, Jennifer Connelly and Miles Teller will return. But nothing more is known.

Top Gun: A cultural phenomenon

Top Shooter: Maverick was the highest-grossing film of 2022—but the film’s success was transcendent, going far beyond financial metrics. Rather, the film’s success was deeply cultural. It struck a nerve, and people kept going back to the movies. The timing may have had a lot to do with its success. 2020 and 2021 were dark times. The idea of ​​American exceptionalism had faded, and it had become fashionable to condemn America and its values. Traditional masculinity had equally gone out of style, viewed as “toxic.” The result was a cultural ethos in which no one was proud to be American, and no one was proud to be male. At least not outwardly. Popular media reflected the trend. But inside, millions were seething, not entirely comfortable with the new normal.

Then Tom Cruise jumped into an F/A-18 Super Hornet and ordered his superiors to clear out, as if it were 1986, America was on the verge of winning the Cold War, and everything was going to be fine. loner celebrated America and celebrated manhood. An oppressed society cheered and rewarded the film with massive box office returns.

At least that is my theory. While the original Super shooter The film embodied a zeitgeist like few others, and the sequel went against the zeitgeist at a time when such a reaction was overdue. It’s unlikely that a third Top Gun will have the same cultural impact – but the Top Gun franchise has exceeded expectations twice before, and regardless, huge profit margins are all but guaranteed, so there will be a Top Gun 3.

What we know so far

“I mean, I have a date,” Powell said about filming Top Gun 3, Entertainment Weekly reported. Powell declined to give the exact date.

“I’ll be there,” Connelly said, according to Movieguide. “I’m ready. We had so much fun filming it. It was fun.”

And of course, Tom Cruise will return. “Tom Cruise will be the lead,” producer Jerry Bruckheimer said, according to Movieguide. “Tom is incredible. We spent time with him. We have a story. Joe Kosinski had a wonderful idea for it and (Tom) said, ‘I really like that,’ so we’re developing it.”

Between filming, which has not yet started, and post-production, it will take several years before the film is ready for audiences.

About the author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer who has written over 1,000 articles on world affairs. Harrison is a lawyer, pilot, guitarist, and part-time professional hockey player. He joined the U.S. Air Force as a student pilot but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

Image credit: Creative Commons.