Tom Cruise has been making films for many decades at this point. His filmography has ranged from award-nominated works, such as Rain Main and Jerry Maguire, to more box-office-oriented films.

Some of his most successful blockbusters include the Mission: Impossible series. Wrapping up this year with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the franchise has been among the most financially fruitful projects of Cruise’s career.

Cruise has also made one of the most successful legacy sequels of this century with Top Gun: Maverick. The Oscar-nominated film followed up the classic 1986 movie and multiplied its success exponentially.

Now, Top Gun 3 is currently in the works. This is one of the most exciting feature films coming up in Cruise’s busy slate, and it could be incredibly significant in his career for one key reason.

Top Gun 3 Will Be The End Of Tom Cruise’s Franchises

Mission: Impossible Also Just Finished

As per an interview with director Joseph Kosinski last month, Top Gun 3 is set to be the end of an era, at least for Cruise. The director described Maverick as having “one last ride.” While Kosinski did not concretely say that Cruise would bow out of Top Gun after the threequel, the language certainly suggests he will wrap up his tenure.

For now, Cruise is also finished with Mission: Impossible. As such, this marks the end of his franchise era, as he does not have any coming down the pike.

Days Of Thunder Could Give Tom Cruise Another Sequel

A Sequel Is In Talks (But Might Not Happen)

That said, it is still possible for another Cruise franchise to be revived. There has been talk of another legacy sequel with Days of Thunder 2. This would follow the 1990 movie Days of Thunder, which was a car action film.

In November 2024, THR reported that Cruise was talking to Paramount about a Days of Thunder sequel. An unnamed executive said that they “don’t think it is a terrible idea,” reflecting tepid support for the project.

If this movie did get made, it would be another major 21st century legacy sequel for Cruise, and would propel him back into franchise work. However, this project is still in talks and as such might not actually happen.

Moving Away From Franchises Could Be Great For Tom Cruise

The A-Lister Needs Some Good Original Projects

Even though a Days of Thunder sequel could be exciting, this might not actually be the best step in Cruise’s career. At the time of writing, it has been eight years since he has made an original movie. The last time he did so was in 2017 with American Made.

Right now, Cruise is making a yet unтιтled movie with director Alejandro G. Iñárritu. This film is reportedly an action-comedy about what happens when the most powerful man in the world accidentally causes a major disaster, and now has to prove he can save humanity.

This will be a great chance to see the actor step out of his more conventional blockbuster action fare. He’d get the chance to play a brand-new character and revisit other aspects of his acting capabilities. As he continues in his career, it would be exciting if Cruise continued to step away from franchise work and toward original projects.