The Navy’s TOPGUN flight school, which trains fighter pilots, was the focus of the first Top Gun movie. Along with co-stars Anthony Edwards as Maverick’s right-hand man, Goose, and Val Kilmer as Iceman, Tom Cruise portrays the impulsive adrenaline junkie Pete Mitchell, a.k.a. Maverick. Action, plane stunts, tragedy, and well-known songs — including “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins — were all featured in this action-packed movie. Cruise’s on-screen portrayal was well received by the audience and critics, who longed to see more of him as the infamous Maverick.
Fans of the legendary movie are already speculating about if additional motion pictures based on the flight school will be produced after the release of the second film in 2022. Top Gun: Maverick follows Pete Mitchell once more as he prepares a group of younger TOPGUN students, including Goose’s son, Rooster (played by Miles Teller), for a perilous mission while dealing with his past. Here is a full analysis of the most recent Top Gun movies as well as potential future installments.
Top Gun (1986)
Paramount Pictures
Top Gun tells the story of Pete Mitchell (Cruise), a reckless, impulsive Navy ace known by the code name Maverick, who is admitted into Top Gun, Miramar’s prestigious Fighter School. The impulsive young pilot, however, will go out against the best there, including Iceman (Val Kilmer), a talented and very competitive classmate. Mitchell must now give it everything, but his father’s sudden and strange death still bothers him. Maverick needs to convince Charlie (Kelly McGillis), the strict astrophysics teacher at the flight academy, of his value and learn a bit of control if he’s going to take home the coveted Top Gun Trophy. Top Gun became a cult classic and gained so many fans that it was only a matter of time before a sequel appeared, especially in the time of reboots. The film also did well with 11 award wins.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
In Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise returns as the title character, top naval pilot Pete Mitchell, who travels through his past by making several appearances and callbacks to the 1986 cast. Included in this is the long-rumored, heartwarming on-screen reunion between Cruise and Kilmer’s Iceman. Being on the screen was a huge accomplishment for Kilmer, who lost his speaking voice while battling throat cancer. The groundbreaking use of artificial intelligence (AI) vocal reconstruction technology, as reported by Variety, assisted in making sure Kilmer’s legendary character could return to the big screen. As Maverick leads a fresh group of flight graduates that includes Teller’s portrayal of his late co-pilot Goose’s kid, Maverick’s past becomes his present.
Will There Be a Top Gun 3?
At the time of this writing, there are currently only two Top Gun movies, as a possible Top Gun 3 isn’t scheduled for development right now. This, of course, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. It would almost seem foolish to not explore the Top Gun storyline for a third movie, given the popularity of the 1986 original and the 2022 sequel. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Teller said, “That would be great, but that’s all up to TC… it’s all up to Tom. I’ve been having some conversations with him about it. We’ll see.” A third Top Gun movie might explore Maverick’s potential for retirement and how he might cope with civilian life before ultimately being called back to duty. On the other hand, a new movie might very well center on Teller’s Rooster even though it’s difficult to picture Top Gun without Cruise’s Maverick. Some fans even believe a television series spin-off would work better than another film. Until news of a continuation is revealed, fans will have to make do with Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick.
