Tom Cruise drops much needed update for fans waiting for Top Gun 3

Tom Cruise has offered fans an exciting update about the prospect of a third Top Gun film after he returned as Pete Mitchell in the hugely successful 2022 sequel.

The popular US actor and film producer has worked on a huge number of projects over the years, and is set to return to our screens in the iconic Mission Impossible series when the latest instalment, The Final Reckoning, arrives in cinemas this week.

The 62-year-old actor has shown incredible longevity to star in all eight of the Mission Impossible films and perhaps most impressively, has done many of the crazy stunts himself, including one which made him 'pass out physically' in the newest film.

While we had to wait 35 years to a sequel for Top Gun, despite Cruise not looking like he has aged a day, fans will be hoping that it's not another three-and-a-half decades until we see the third arrive on our screens.

Given that Maverick was named as the best film of 2022, it's no surprise that Cruise is keen to work on a third, and he's just dropped a hint that fans might not have to wait too long.

Tom Cruise has given a major update regarding a third Top Gun movie (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

In a new interview to Australia’s Today (via The Independent), the Tropic Thunder star said: “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 figure out Top Gun: Maverick, so all of these things we’re working on, we’re discussing Days of Thunder and Top Gun: Maverick.

"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 an extraordinary experience and [Christopher McQuarrie] and I are always working on several different films.”

Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures)

Although we are often seeing several years between certain TV seasons these days, Cruise is probably keen to get a third Top Gun film in the works as soon as possible, as in 2024, it was reported by The Independent that he'd signed on to reprise his role as Pete Mitchell.

If it does happen, then we may well see Goose's grandchild fly a rocket from the international space station. Who knows, Jeff Bezos might have even set up his space hotel by then?

Sadly, we definitely won't see rival pilot Lieutenant Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky in any third Top Gun film after actor Val Kilmer sadly passed away at the age of 65 earlier this year.