Director Christopher McQuarrie has confirmed that he and Tom Cruise are deep in development on multiple projects — including a sequel to Top Gun: Maverick, a Days of Thunder follow-up, and a Tropic Thunder spinoff.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, McQuarrie revealed that the Top Gun: Maverick sequel is essentially “already in the bag,” with the story framework nailed down quickly by co-writer Ehren Kruger. “It wasn’t hard to crack,” McQuarrie said, adding, “It’s not the action … it’s the emotion” that drives these films.
Though he hasn’t committed to directing the Top Gun threequel, McQuarrie said he’s been studying how to replicate the style of the late Tony Scott, who helmed the original.
McQuarrie also gave an update on the long-rumored Les Grossman (Tropic Thunder) spinoff, saying he and Cruise are “having very serious conversations about it” and have been brainstorming scenes while filming Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. “The conversations we’ve had about Les Grossman are so f—ing funny,” he said.
As for a Days of Thunder sequel, McQuarrie instantly saw potential following the massive success of Top Gun: Maverick. “In five seconds I knew the premise,” he said, noting he turned to Cruise and said, “Days of Thunder.”
Cruise also recently confirmed these projects are in development, saying, “We’re discussing Days of Thunder and Top Gun: Maverick. It took me 35 years to figure out Maverick, so we’re working on it.”
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