Fresh off slugging it with Spider-Man: No Way Home over Labor Day weekend, Top Gun: Maverick has been riding high after crushing Titanic’s box office record. Its success has led to fans calling for a Top Gun threequel. With voices getting louder for a Maverick follow-up, Top Gun producer Jerry Bruckheimer heard the online chatter. Bruckheimer gave a brilliant throwback to 1986 when asked about a possible Tom Cruise threequel.
The Top Gun sequel was no small feat as the legendary Hollywood producer recalled the film being stuck in developmental hell for years following the tragic death of original director Tony Scott. But things came together after all the important pieces (including Tom Cruise) came through with an exciting story for new and old fans. Despite the sequel chatter, Jerry Bruckheimer was honest with Radio Times about how close (or not) moviegoers are to getting a much-talked-about threequel.
I can’t tell you what the future is going to bring. If you’d asked me in ’86, ‘Do you think you’ll have a sequel out in a few years?’ I’d have said maybe. But it took 30-something years to do it!
Bruckheimer is seemingly saying don’t expect Maverick and co. to return for another sequel any time soon. The second film took over three decades to get made. Of course, it did take some time to convince Tom Cruise to do the sequel. But now fans are clamoring for another film that doesn’t take three decades to make.
The Maverick frenzy has been fueled by multiple generations seeing the film multiple times. The second film’s cross-generational appeal surprised the 78-year-old Hollywood producer with Millennials and Gen Z taking to the long-overdue sequel. Jerry Bruckheimer was initially worried the movie would only appeal to an older audience. The Bad Boys II producer explained how the sequel turned from a high-flying action film to Summer 2022’s unexpected family movie.
It was an iconic ’86 movie that people remember seeing with their fathers. And now they’re the fathers and they wanted to take their sons to see it. But as it turned out, it was a family film – everybody came to see this movie.
It seemed like Maverick will become a rite-of-passage for a new generation. This will begin a new tradition amongst Millennial and Gen Z dads to show the sequel. Maybe Gen Alpha dads will keep the tradition going with their kids. Hopefully, there will be a Maverick sequel released by the time a new generation of kids can watch the second film.
The enthusiastic response to the Top Gun sequel took Jerry Bruckheimer and the cast by surprise. Everyone involved in the blockbuster sequel didn’t realize how massive it was until the box office gross continued to grow from week to week due to multiple viewings. That proved audiences are ready for more air maneuvers and secret missions.
If you want to continue the family experience at home, you can find where Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick are streaming online. In the meantime, you can still see the Top Gun sequel in movie theaters. There are still multiple upcoming movies premiering in 2022.
