What Tom Cruise's New Cult Classic Sequel Means For Top Gun 3 & Why It's Happening First

Published Sep 2, 2026, 10:45 AM EDT Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release. He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years. Tom Cruise is staying busy by returning to some of his classic action movie roles, but rather than prioritize Top Gun 3, he's found a different sequel to make first. The success that Cruise experienced in 2022 with Top Gun: Maverick made it inevitable that he'll get back in the cockpit as Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell for a third time. The $1.4 billion sequel proved there is still plenty of fuel in this franchise's engines. But four years later, Cruise has set his sights on another sequel, Days of Thunder 2. The development first started to gear up in late 2024 as the star entered early talks to return as Cole Trickle. It remained unclear how much of a priority it was for Cruise and Paramount, especially since they were also developing Top Gun 3 at the same time. The latter was assumed to be the bigger priority. Yet, Days of Thunder 2 is the one progressing faster. It has a screenwriter, Will Staples, and director, Jonathan Levine, attached already. Cruise has even found his first co-star, with Anne Hathaway joining Days of Thunder 2. Paramount has even given the film a June 2, 2028, release date after firming up plans for a 2027 shoot. All of that is very exciting for Cruise and Days of Thunder fans, but it creates some natural uncertainty with Top Gun 3. The A-list star has added another project to his plate and pushed back Maverick's return in the process. The reasoning isn't bad, though. Is Top Gun 3 Still Happening? First things first, Days of Thunder 2's development does not mean that Top Gun 3 is no longer happening. Paramount and Cruise still have every intention of completing the aerial trilogy. No one involved is going to say no to following up the 2022 hit and trying to replicate that success. Despite the inevitability of Top Gun 3, development has moved slowly. Paramount waited until CinemaCon 2026 to officially announce that the sequel was in development. All the studio's film division co-chair Josh Greenstein revealed during the presentation is that the script is being written, Cruise will be back to star, and Jerry Bruckheimer will once again produce. Top Gun 3's script has been in the works since 2024, when Top Gun: Maverick's Ehren Kruger was brought back to tackle the sequel. Cruise's longtime collaborator Christopher McQuarrie has also been involved in the story-breaking process. No director has been formally named, and no production timeline or release date has been announced. Why Days Of Thunder 2 Is Happening Before Top Gun 3 The state of Top Gun 3 is one of the reasons why Cruise is making Days of Thunder 2 first. The racing sequel seems to have come together more effortlessly. Rather than Cruise and Paramount waiting to continue their longstanding relationship until Top Gun 3 was ready, Days of Thunder 2 likely emerged as another path forward as they sort through options for a more valuable IP. This also looks to be a chance for Cruise to capitalize on a renewed interest in racing movies. He just watched Brad Pitt's F1: The Movie dominate the box office with Maverick's director, Joseph Kosinski, to the tune of $634 million worldwide and a Best Picture Oscar nomination. Days of Thunder 2 is Cruise's chance to show what he can do behind the wheel. It also could bring everyone one step closer to Kosinski's pitched F1/Days of Thunder crossover movie. Speaking of Kosinski, his schedule may also have played a factor. He's currently prepping Miami Vice '85 with Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler for a 2028 release. If Cruise wants Top Gun 3 to be in Kosinski's reliable hands, the sequel can't happen anytime soon. That would then open up a place for Days of Thunder 2 as Cruise waits. Will Days Of Thunder 2 Match Top Gun: Maverick's Success? Days of Thunder 2 might be another sequel to a classic Cruise action movie, like Top Gun: Maverick, but the staying power of the original movies is very different. Top Gun is an iconic entry in the 80s movie canon, remaining wildly popular years later and growing more beloved as the years passed. Days of Thunder has its fans too, but it is not a title that audiences have returned to nearly as often. Cruise should be able to manufacture enough hype for Days of Thunder 2 that it blows past the original's box office, $157.9 million (unadjusted for inflation). The first racing movie finished with less than half of Top Gun's total. That makes it very difficult to imagine a world where Days of Thunder 2 comes anywhere close to replicating the $1.4 billion success of Cruise's return as Maverick. The goal, more realistically, will be replicating the success Apple and Pitt had with turning Formula 1 racing into a big-screen event in F1. If Days of Thunder 2 can match or exceed that $600+ million racing movie by tapping into NASCAR's popularity, that should be more than enough for the movie to be considered a hit and possibly pave the way for an entire trilogy. Tom Cruise Not Rushing Top Gun 3 Is A Good Thing While Top Gun 3 is the classic action movie sequel that audiences are most desperate to see Cruise make, it is reassuring that Days of Thunder 2 is coming first. It shows that Cruise and Paramount aren't simply rushing everyone back into the world of dogfights and aerial missions for the sake of making easy money. There is clearly some care being put into making sure that Top Gun 3 lives up to expectations and maintains the high level of quality that audiences saw with Top Gun: Maverick. Cruise is very protective over this series, which is why he turned down a Top Gun sequel for over three decades before feeling that Kosinski's vision would work. Top Gun 3 not rushing through development shows he's operating the same way. We won't have to wait another 30+ years to see Top Gun 3, but it should prove to be worth it. Cruise will only do the sequel when he believes it can dazzle audiences in the same way that Maverick did. By delaying the franchise's return, there will be naturally growing anticipation for Top Gun 3, which should play to the film's benefit, too. Hopefully, Days of Thunder 2 proves to be a great, action-packed blockbuster in the meantime. Top Gun 3 Writers Ehren Kruger Producers Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise Cast Capt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell Top Gun 3 is the latest installment following the success of Top Gun: Maverick. While specific plot details remain undisclosed, the film continues the legacy of high-flying aerial combat and camaraderie among elite pilots in the United States Navy. Days of Thunder 2 Release Date June 2, 2028 Director Jonathan Levine Writers Will Staples Producers Tom Cruise, Jerry Bruckheimer, Tommy Harper Cast A Days of Thunder sequel will see Tom Cruise return as racer Cole Trickle, joined by Anne Hathaway as a team owner and engineer.