Tom Cruise may be on the cusp of releasing what’s been teased as the final Mission: Impossible film, but the stunt-loving mega star is already looking ahead to his next thrill ride. And though it may take a while, Cruise has offered an update on a sequel to 2023’s smash hit Top Gun: Maverick is in the works.
That said, not even Cruise himself knows exactly when we might see a third film in the Top Gun franchise, with the actor telling Australian talk show Today that, while a sequel to Top Gun: Maverick is officially in development, he’s got a lot of irons in the fire, including a potential sequel to another of his high-octane ’90s films, Days of Thunder.
“Yeah, we’re thinking and talking about many different stories and what could we do and what’s possible. It took me 35 years to, you know, figure out Top Gun: Maverick with things,” he jokes. “But, so, all of these things we’re working on, we’re discussing Days of Thunder and Top Gun: Maverick.
“And, you know, there’s numerous other films that we’re actively working on right now. I’m always shooting a film, prepping a film, posting a film. I just finished a film with Alejandro Iñárritu too, who did The Revenant, and we’ll be coming out with that. That was, you know, an extraordinary experience. And [Christopher McQuarrie] and I are always working on several different films.”
Cruise’s still untitled film with Iñárritu is scheduled for a late 2026 release. As for what he may be working on with McQuarrie, who directed four of the Mission: Impossible films including the latest, The Final Reckoning, Cruise is careful in the interview not to rule out the possibility of another M:I film in the future, saying he “just wants audiences to enjoy this.”
“They go see it, they enjoy this film,” he says. “It’s a culmination of that kind of story for the last 30 years, and I just want them to really go enjoy the picture.”
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is out on May 21 in UK cinemas and May 23 in US theatres. For more, see our guide to all the most exciting upcoming movies of 2025.
