Top Gun 3 is officially on the way, and one early detail shows the franchise has learned a lesson Tom Cruise waited six movies to learn with Mission: Impossible. While details on the third Top Gun are sparse, we already know certain things about the upcoming sequel. Major cast members are confirmed to return in Top Gun 3, including Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, and Glen Powell. Additionally, Joseph Kosinski will return to direct the next movie, hopefully ensuring that it feels very strongly connected to the previous installment.

The most prominent theory about Top Gun 3 is that Tom Cruise will leave the franchise and be replaced by one of Maverick’s students in any future installments – but for now, the series is still very тιԍнтly ᴀssociated with the Hollywood superstar. So тιԍнтly, in fact, that many audiences continue to compare Top Gun with Cruise’s other action franchise, Mission: Impossible, which dominated his career between the first film and Top Gun: Maverick. However, there’s one thing that Top Gun has already done that took Mission: Impossible much longer.

Top Gun 3 Is Bringing Back A Franchise Director Much Faster Than Mission: Impossible Did

Joseph Kosinski Is Becoming The Face Of Top Gun

The decision to bring Joseph Kosinski back for Top Gun 3 is a perfect indicator that the series has its priorities straight. Even if it could’ve been exciting to see a new filmmaker tackle this iconic franchise, it makes sense to keep it in known hands. It is slightly ironic, given just how long it took Tom Cruise’s other blockbuster series, Mission: Impossible, to learn the same lesson. These films bounced new directors around for the first five entries, until Christopher McQuarrie eventually returned to direct Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

There were both positives and negatives to Mission: Impossible’s decision to use new directors for every sequel. Filmmakers like John Woo and JJ Abrams were able to join the franchise and put their spin on Cruise’s character and world, but the conflicting tones and varying styles ultimately became too exhausting. The stylistic variety is the best thing about the early Mission: Impossible movies, but this wasn’t a sustainable model for such a long-running franchise, so it’s reᴀssuring that Top Gun is opting for consistency instead.

Joseph Kosinski Directing Top Gun 3 Is One Of Its Most Exciting Elements

There’s Plenty To Be Excited About In The Sequel

Of course, the main reason that Kosinski’s return is so exciting is that he will be able to neatly continue Pete “Maverick” Mitchell’s story in a sharp, consistent way. The filmmaker clearly has a vision for this character that he set into motion with Top Gun: Maverick. If the next movie had been handed over to a new director, much of that movie’s subtle foreshadowing may never have paid off. This is exactly what’s made other franchises suffer in recent years – some movies feel totally disconnected from others because directors or producers don’t share the same vision.

There are plenty of other things to be excited about in Top Gun 3 too. Much of the previous film’s cast will be returning, meaning that viewers will finally get to see how Maverick’s story concludes – and, most importantly, which of his mentees he chooses to carry the torch in later installments. Top Gun: Maverick perfectly ended some subplots from the original movie, but it also established plenty of new plot threads that Kosinski can now build upon in the third movie.

Why Top Gun 3’s Director Return Is So Valuable

The Franchise Is Avoiding A Key Pitfall Of Long-Running Franchises

Ultimately, Kosinski’s return is a clear sign that Top Gun 3 is aiming for a level of consistency that was not present in the early Mission: Impossible movies. Instead of looking for varied tones and new stylistic decisions, this franchise will benefit from a reliable, long-running form of storytelling that allows these characters’ stories to unfold naturally, slowly, and methodically. Kosinski is the perfect figurehead for this franchise, especially if Tom Cruise really does step back in the next installment.