Two Tom Cruise Movie Sequels Get Major Updates (One Is Exciting, the Other Will Disappoint You)

With a career spanning decades, Tom Cruise has starred in several notable films and earned numerous accolades, but he’s arguably best known for his work in franchises. Ethan Hunt of the Mission: Impossible series is perhaps the first character who comes to mind when audiences think of Cruise, though Top Gun‘s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is up there as well. In fact, Top Gun: Maverick unexpectedly became the biggest box office hit of Cruise’s career, soaring past the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office. That level of success quickly led to discussions about a third Top Gun installment, but that’s just one of many projects the ever-busy Cruise has in development. The latest updates could shed light on what Cruise will make next.

Speaking with The Wrap, Cruise’s longtime collaborator Jerry Bruckheimer discussed a couple of the actor’s planned sequels. On the positive end of the spectrum, Top Gun 3 seems to be moving along, as a script from writer Ehren Kruger should come across Bruckheimer’s desk soon. Unfortunately, a follow-up to Days of Thunder isn’t as far along since no writer is attached to that project.

Why Top Gun 3 Could Happen Before Days of Thunder 2

It isn’t surprising to hear Top Gun 3 is further along than Days of Thunder 2. The former is seemingly a priority for Paramount after Top Gun: Maverick‘s massive box office and critical acclaim (including an Oscar nomination for Best Picture). Now that the Paramount/Skydance merger is complete, the studio is placing an emphasis on developing new franchise projects (see: the renewed interest in getting a Star Trek movie off the ground). Everyone knows Top Gun is a major draw and there would certainly be interest in a third installment. Top Gun 3 has been in the works for a few years now, so it’d be concerning if progress wasn’t being made.

Days of Thunder is perhaps Cruise’s most underrated movie, but it wasn’t as lucrative as some of his other action blockbusters. The film brought in $157.9 million worldwide, a far cry from the $357.2 million haul of the original Top Gun or the $457.6 million gross posted by the first Mission: Impossible. That could explain why it seems to be on the back burner while Top Gun 3 gets a new draft. Bruckheimer and Cruise are surely interested in doing Days of Thunder 2, but Paramount may need to be convinced that would be an investment worth making. The somewhat muted reception to the 1990 original means a follow-up may not be at the top of the studio’s priority list.

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That isn’t to say Days of Thunder 2 couldn’t work if it ever does get off the ground. The Bruckheimer-produced racing drama F1: The Movie was a massive success this summer, giving Brad Pitt his biggest box office hit of his career ($626.2 million). With today’s filmmaking technology, it’s possible for a director to craft immersive racing sequences that deliver the spectacle moviegoers expect from an old-school summer blockbuster. F1 could provide a template for Days of Thunder 2, leaning into Cruise’s penchant for doing his own stunts to sell the sequel as a must-see experience on the big screen. There’s definitely an audience for racing movies (Ford v Ferrari was successful too), so Days of Thunder 2 could tap into that demographic.

Though Top Gun 3 is currently being written, no release date is set. Director John Krasinski is expected to return, but his Miami Vice film recently secured a 2027 premiere. That would seemingly take him out of commission to helm Top Gun 3 for at least the next couple of years. Cruise is said to be looking for his next project, especially after his underwater thriller Deeper was paused due to budget concerns. Depending on his feelings about the Top Gun 3 screenplay, he could decide to hop back in a fighter jet sooner rather than later, potentially teaming up with a different director (Christopher McQuarrie, perhaps?). It’ll be interesting to see how these Cruise sequels progress through their development.

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