After Top Gun: Maverick, the future of the budding Top Gun franchise is looking very exciting. The cult '80s classic that catapulted Tom Cruise to mainstream popularity is finally getting its long-awaited sequel after 34 years. If Paramount Pictures play their cards right in the follow-up film, however, they may have a sustainable film series on their hands.
Set three decades after the events of the first film, Top Gun: Maverick will see the return of brilliant aviator, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Cruise) who now serves as an instructor at the same US Navy's Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California he trained in Top Gun. A lot of the original cast are not returning in the sequel, so the movie is introducing a string of new players, including a fresh crop of pilots that Maverick is tasked to train. That includes Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller) - the son of Maverick's late RIO, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards).
Based on trailers for Top Gun: Maverick, Rooster isn't fond of his father's pal, causing tension between them. While it's uncertain why the young pilot has an aversion against Maverick, it's safe to say that it has something to do with the accident that claimed his father's life three decades ago. With this, the film will more than likely revisit what transpired the day Goose died and what came after that regarding Maverick's relationship with the young family he left behind. This checks out with the idea that the Maverick will come to with his past in the sequel. After Top Gun: Maverick deals with the death of Goose still haunting those closest to him, however, the budding aviation franchise can move on from the events of the past and focus on building an aviation film series that could be a sustainable and successful venture for Cruise and Paramount.
Top Gun's basic premise already lends into the idea of creating a franchise. A string of newbie pilots enters TOPGUN and from there, their future adventures can be spread out in several subsequent movies. This is essentially the thought process behind Top Gun: Maverick with Maverick now a captain and instructor at the very same flight academy he graduated from three decades ago. This time, however, instead of waiting a long period of time before a third film rolls out, Paramount can come up with a new installment every couple of years to better track the progress of the new characters.
With the introduction of a slew of new young players such as Rooster and the mysterious new recruit nicknamed Hangman (Glen Powell), the future of a potential Top Gun franchise is almost already secured whether Tom Cruise decides to retire his bomber jacket and aviators or not. Even if he remains to be involved in future movies after Top Gun: Maverick, he can take the backseat and play the role of the mentor figure to his contemporaries much like Rocky did for the Creed movies. From there, whoever takes the reign as the next poster star of the budding film series could be the central focus of succeeding stories just like how Maverick has been in the first two films in the franchise.
