Tom Cruise to return as Maverick in ‘Top Gun 3’, reports say

FILE-Tom Cruise attends the Mexico Premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick" at Cinepolis Parque Toreo on May 06, 2022 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

Tom Cruise is returning to the big screen for the new "Top Gun 3" movie.

The 61-year-old actor will reprise his role as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in the third film in the franchise, according to reports. 

Cruise first played the popular character in the original "Top Gun" film in 1986 and starred in the sequel, "Top Gun: Maverick" in 2022, which became a box office hit, bringing in $1.469 billion globally at the box office. 

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The film is still in the works, but Paramount is reportedly planning for director Joseph Kosin to return along with actors Glen Powell and Miles Teller, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Paramount also reportedly tapped Top Gun: Maverick screenwriter Ehren Kruger to start working on a script for the third film, according to digital media company Puck

News of the new Top Gun movie comes after Cruise signed a deal with Warner Bros. to star in and produce movies for the studio, but the contract is non-exclusive, meaning he can work with Paramount on the project. 

An official release date for the film has not been announced yet. 

This story was reported from Washington, D.C.