Top Gun is an American action drama multimedia franchise based on the 1983 article "Top Guns" by Ehud Yonay, which was adapted into the eponymous 1986 film, written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. The original film portrays Tom Cruise as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a young naval aviator aboard the aircraft carrier , who, with his radar intercept officer, LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, is given the chance to train at the US Navy's Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.
Produced and released by Paramount Pictures, Top Gun became a cultural phenomenon and, despite receiving mixed reviews, was acclaimed for its groundbreaking visual effects and energetic soundtrack. It was followed by the 2022 sequel film Top Gun: Maverick, which takes place 36 years after the events of the first film and depicts Maverick's reluctant return to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, where he must confront his past as he trains a group of younger aviators, among them the son of his deceased best friend. Top Gun: Maverick was met with greater critical and commercial success than the original, with praise for its story, performances, emotional weight, and flying sequences.
Films Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriters Story by Producers Top Gun Tony Scott Jim Cash & Jack Epps Jr. Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer Top Gun: Maverick Joseph Kosinski Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer & Christopher McQuarrie Peter Craig & Justin Marks Tom Cruise, David Ellison, Jerry Bruckheimer and Christopher McQuarrie
Top Gun (1986)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Future In May 2022, Miles Teller stated that he had been pitching a follow-up film centered around his character to the studio. The actor referred to his pitch as Top Gun: Rooster. By July of the same year, he stated that he has been having ongoing discussions regarding a sequel with Tom Cruise. In January 2024, Ehren Kruger was hired to write the script for the project.
In August of 2025, following the merger of Paramount and Skydance Media, Chairman and CEO of the conglomerate David Ellison announced that Top Gun 3 is one of the highest priorities for the studio. Dana Goldberg, co-chair of Paramount Pictures further reaffirmed this priority.
At CinemaCon in April 2026, the film was officially announced as having been given the green light, with Tom Cruise confirmed to reprise his role as Peter "Maverick" Mitchell.
Main cast and characters
Character Films Top Gun Top Gun: Maverick Untitled film Pete "Maverick" Mitchell Tom Cruise Tom "Iceman" Kazansky Val Kilmer Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood Kelly McGillis Kelly McGillis Nick "Goose" Bradshaw Anthony Edwards Anthony Edwards Carole Bradshaw Meg Ryan Meg Ryan Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw Aaron & Adam Weis Miles Teller Mike "Viper" Metcalf Tom Skerritt colspan="2" Rick "Jester" Heatherly Michael Ironside colspan="2" Bill "Cougar" Cortell John Stockwell colspan="2" Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe Barry Tubb colspan="2" Ron "Slider" Kerner Rick Rossovich colspan="2" Sam "Merlin" Wells Tim Robbins colspan="2" Marcus "Sundown" Williams Clarence Gilyard colspan="2" Rick "Hollywood" Neven Whip Hubley colspan="2" Tom "Stinger" Jardian James Tolkan colspan="2" Charles "Chipper" Piper Adrian Pasdar colspan="2" Penelope "Penny" Benjamin Jennifer Connelly Beau "Cyclone" Simpson Jon Hamm Jake "Hangman" Seresin Glen Powell Robert "Bob" Floyd Lewis Pullman Chester "Hammer" Cain Ed Harris Solomon "Warlock" Bates Charles Parnell Natasha "Phoenix" Trace Monica Barbaro Reuben "Payback" Fitch Jay Ellis Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia Danny Ramirez Javy "Coyote" Machado Greg Davis Bernie "Hondo" Coleman Bashir Salahuddin Billy "Fritz" Avalone Manny Jacinto Logan "Yale" Lee Raymond Lee Brigham "Harvard" Lennox Jake Picking Neil "Omaha" Vikander Jack Schumacher Callie "Halo" Bassett Kara Wang Amelia Benjamin Lyliana Wray Sarah Kazansky Jean Louisa Kelly Jimmy James Handy
Crew and production details Film Composers Cinematographer Editors Production companies Distributing company Runtime Top Gun Harold Faltermeyer Giorgio Moroder Jeffrey L. Kimball Billy Weber Chris LebenzonParamount Pictures Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films Paramount Pictures 110 mins Top Gun: MaverickHarold Faltermeyer Lady Gaga Hans Zimmer Lorne Balfe Claudio Miranda Eddie Hamilton Paramount PicturesSkydance Media, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films 130 mins
Reception Box office performance Film Release date Box office Budget North America Other territories Worldwide Top Gun May 16, 1986 $180,470,489 $176,999,033 $357,469,522 $15,000,000 Top Gun: Maverick May 27, 2022 $718,732,821 $770,000,000 $1,488,732,821 $170,000,000 Total $ $ $ $185 million
Critical and public response Film Critical Public Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore Top Gun 58% (76 reviews) 50 (15 reviews) A Top Gun: Maverick 96% (444 reviews) 78 (63 reviews) A+
Accolades + Category 1987 2023 Top Gun Top Gun: Maverick Best Picture Best Adapted Screenplay Best Film Editing Best Sound Best Sound Editing Best Original Song Best Visual Effects
Music
Soundtracks Title U.S. release date Length Label Top Gun May 13, 1986 38:38 Columbia Records Top Gun: Maverick (Music from the Motion Picture) May 27, 2022 43:35 Interscope Records Singles "Danger Zone" "Take My Breath Away" "Heaven in Your Eyes" "Mighty Wings" "Playing with the Boys" "Top Gun Anthem" "Hold My Hand" "I Ain't Worried"
The soundtrack to the original film reached number one in the US charts for five nonconsecutive weeks in the summer and autumn of 1986. It was the best selling soundtrack of 1986 and is still one of the best selling soundtrack albums of all time. The soundtrack spawned two top 10 singles on the US charts, with the song "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins peaking at number two and the song "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin reaching number one, the latter of which would also go on to win both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. According to Allmusic, the album "remains a quintessential artifact of the mid-'80s", and the album's hits "still define the bombastic, melodramatic sound that dominated the pop charts of the era."
The soundtrack to the sequel featured the singles "Hold My Hand" by Lady Gaga and "I Ain't Worried" by OneRepublic, with the latter becoming a top 10 hit. The score of the film harkened back to the original film's sound and was noted by Zanobard Reviews as a "thoroughly entertaining and incredibly nostalgic musical experience from beginning to end".
Video games
Top Gun also spawned a number of video games for various platforms. The original game was released in 1986 under the same title as the film. It was released on Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Atari ST. Another game, also titled Top Gun, was released in 1987 for Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Nintendo VS. System arcade cabinets. In the 1987 game, the player pilots an F-14 Tomcat fighter, and has to complete four missions. A sequel, Top Gun: The Second Mission, was released for the NES three years later.
Another game, Top Gun: Fire at Will, was released in 1996 for the PC and later for the Sony PlayStation platform. Top Gun: Hornet's Nest was released in 1998. Top Gun: Combat Zones was released for PlayStation 2 in 2001 and was subsequently released for the GameCube and Microsoft Windows. Combat Zones features other aircraft besides the F-14. In 2006, another game simply titled Top Gun was released for the Nintendo DS. A 2010 game, also titled Top Gun, retells the film's story. At E3 2011, a new game was announced, Top Gun: Hard Lock, which was released in March 2012 for Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3.
References