Top Gun 3 Flies On Without Joseph Kosinski — Who’s Taking the Cockpit?

In what might not be the most shocking news, but definitely a bit of a curveball for Top Gun fans, the next flight into the Danger Zone is officially on the schedule. Yes, Top Gun 3 is happening—Paramount and Skydance have given the green light, Tom Cruise is strapping in (of course), and Jerry Bruckheimer is back in the producer's chair. That's where the good old-fashioned Top Gun continuity ends, though. Because if you were betting on Joseph Kosinski coming back to direct after absolutely nailing Top Gun: Maverick, you just lost a fiver.

Who's NOT Coming Back?

Here's the big twist: Joseph Kosinski, who brought Maverick into the 21st century with that eye-popping dogfighting and some actual film-making style, is not returning for Top Gun 3. The rumor is that Kosinski's likely got too much on his plate—including a possible plan to shoot two other (unnamed) projects back-to-back in 2026 and 2027. That means the director's slot is suddenly empty, and, at least for now, Top Gun 3 is what studios call ‘an open directing assignment.’

Who Could Steer the Next Flight?

Losing Kosinski is a pretty big deal, considering he’s responsible for the reason that last movie had audiences actually holding their breath in the theater (and not just from nostalgia). So, who’s on the shortlist to take over? Right now, Tom Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer are shopping for directors, trying to find someone "qualified" enough to keep Cruise from walking off the tarmac in disgust. Here are a few of the names reportedly being thrown around:

• Jon M. Chu (most recently directing Wicked, the musical—so, that would be a tonal swerve)
• Joachim Rønning (he’s in charge of Tron: Ares right now, so he’s got the whole neon, glossy sci-fi thing covered)
• Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah (the duo behind Bad Boys: Ride or Die—which, say what you want, at least proves they can handle flashy action and giant personalities)

No decisions yet, but don’t expect Cruise to hand the controls to just anyone. If there’s one thing years of waiting for a Top Gun sequel have proven, it’s that he actually cares whether these movies are good.

What About the Story?

The plot is still pretty tightly under wraps. Kosinski might be out as director, but apparently he did put his two cents in with a concept for where the story should go. Will they use it? No clue. But his original pitch was that Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell is up for a serious, possibly heavy existential crisis this time around. No, really—it’s not some routine "bad guys in foreign jets" plot. In Kosinski's own, cryptic words:

"It’s a really existential crisis that Maverick has in this, and it’s much bigger than himself... It’s an existential question that Maverick has to deal with, that would make Maverick feel small, I think, as a movie, compared to what we’re talking about."

If you think that all sounds a bit philosophical for a movie best known for sunglasses, volleyball, and Tom Cruise grinning in a cockpit, you’re not wrong. But Kosinski always insisted there was at least ‘one last ride’ left in Maverick, so we’ll see what, if anything, they use from his ideas.

Can They Really Stick the Landing?

After Top Gun: Maverick managed the rare feat of making everyone—critics, fans, and studio accountants—happy, it’s fair to ask if a third film is risking it all. Is there actually more story to tell here, or are we pushing our luck? The script is coming from Ehren Kruger (the guy writing the F1 movie for Apple, and who already did some work with Kosinski), but, as always, these things take time. They’re openly saying they’ll only do it if there’s a strong enough story. Whether or not that’s what actually ends up on screen is another question, but at least they’re pretending they care.