Warning! SPOILERS for Top Gun: Maverick.
The seemingly inevitable Top Gun 3 can break an ongoing pilot trend in the Tom Cruise-led franchise. Fresh from the success of Top Gun: Maverick, it's difficult to imagine that Paramount isn't looking to move forward with a third film in the still burgeoning film series. While there's no official confirmation yet, Top Gun 3 has the chance to differentiate itself from its predecessors.
After more than three decades, Cruise reprises Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in the the end of Top Gun: Maverick, the pair has patched things up. This effectively sets up Rooster to be the next primary character in the revived Top Gun franchise. If this is indeed the case, Top Gun 3 has a chance to do something entirely fresh with its story.
The focus of Top Gun: Maverick is Cruise's titular character as he re-examines his life — both personal and professional. In the end, he is given the chance for a final dangerous mission. Between Tom "Iceman" Kazansky's (Val Kilmer) desire to let go and his successful return to the Navy's good graces, it's time for him to the baton to the next generation of pilots, and Rooster is clearly being set up as his successor. If the young Bradley fronts the franchise moving forward, the potential Top Gun 3 will be the first time that the series will focus on a work-in-progress pilot. Granted that Rooster is one of the best Navy neophytes, he still isn't on the same level as Maverick or even Iceman — two of the main players in the Top Gun franchise thus far. With a shift of focus on Rooster, Top Gun 3 can finally tell some sort of a hero's journey, as he works to hone his skills to their maximum potential.
For what it's worth, Rooster isn't the only new pilot that Paramount’s possible Top Gun 3 film can focus on. Maverick and Iceman's dynamic evolving mostly on superficial, formulaic rails.
Looking back, Top Gun: Maverick subtly functions as a transitional film for the Top Gun franchise. With Maverick's story now essentially finished, Paramount introduces a couple of new faces that could take over the film series. Whether that would be Rooster, Hangman, or both, it's imperative that Top Gun 3 offers something fresh, and it has the opportunity to do just that.
