Top Gun: Maverick‘s writer-producer Christopher McQuarrie offers an update on Top Gun 3. The sequel was confirmed to be in the works at Paramount in January 2024 following the Tom Cruise movie’s success. Maverick‘s co-writer Ehren Kruger is penning the script, and Joseph Kosinski is reportedly returning as a director. Miles Teller, Glen Powell, and Cruise are expected to reprise their roles.

In an interview with Josh Horowitz for an episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the writer-director reveals that they have already pinned down Top Gun 3‘s plot. McQuarrie shared that he already knows what the story will be about and has the “framework” done. He went on to explain that figuring out the emotion behind a story is more important than the action. Read what he said below:

It’s already in the bag. Yeah, I already know what it is. It wasn’t hard. I thought it would be, and that’s a good place to go from is you walk into the room going, “Come on, what are we going to do?” and Ehren Kruger pitched something and I went, “Mhm actually,” and we had one conversation about it and the framework is there. So, no, it’s not hard to crack. The truth of the matter is, none of these are hard to crack.

It’s as you start to execute it, and as you start to interrogate it, as you start [to think] why these movies are made the way they are. It’s not the action, it’s not even the level of or intensity of or the scope and scale of the action [or] the engineering around the action, it’s none of those things — it’s the emotion.

What Christopher McQuarrie’s Comments Mean For Top Gun 3

Top Gun 3 Already Has A Story

McQuarrie highlights emotions as the central experience of the Top Gun movies. While not disclosing any specific details about the upcoming movie, he gave an example of how Maverick was all about “getting to that place” by centering around Maverick’s relationship with Rooster, who blamed Cruise’s character for his father’s death in the original movie. Top Gun 3‘s plot will likely be rooted in Maverick‘s story or centered around a similar emotional arc.

Powell previously shared an update on Top Gun 3‘s production in July 2024, when the actor implied that he may have already had a date marked for the production start date, though not willing to reveal anything further. Ahead of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘s release, Cruise also shared a few words about the upcoming Top Gun movie’s status, but unlike McQuarrie’s comments, the star indicated that they were still exploring different ideas. It sounds like the movie’s script is actively being developed, but they still need to iron out some details.

Our Take On Top Gun 3’s Script Update

Top Gun 3’s Script Might Be Very Close To Being Finished

McQuarrie’s update sheds some light on Top Gun‘s brand and the conversations that have been happening around the third movie. It sounds like they already have a solid idea of what the movie will be about, but there are still some steps ahead before the script can be finished. Regardless, McQuarrie’s update is great news for Top Gun fans.

Tom Cruise has several projects in various stages of development. In addition to returning as the protagonist in Top Gun 3, the star is also working with McQuarrie on an upcoming World War II movie тιтled Broadway and a high-stakes movie, The Gauntlet, which means the two will continue working very closely with each other. Fans will likely be able to hear more about the sequel as development continues.

Source: Happy Sad Confused/YouTube