Hollywood Actor Tom Cruise is returning to play Navy pilot Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell once again as Paramount has greenlighted the third installment of Top Gun: Maverick.

The 61-year-old action star first played the character in 1986’s Top Gun and returned in 2022 for Top Gun: Maverick, which was a massively successful box office hit grossing $1.496bn worldwide.

According to an international media outlet, Paramount has now commissioned “Top Gun: Maverick” co-writer Ehren Kruger to work on a script for a sequel to the action blockbuster.

The studio is also hoping that director Joseph Kosinski will get back into the cockpit for another installment in the series, which would potentially see Cruise’s younger co-stars Miles Teller and Glen Powell return for more high-altitude excitement.

The development comes days after Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Tom Cruise had signed a non-exclusive deal to develop franchises and original movies for Warner Bros., the studio where he made “Interview With the Vampire,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Magnolia” and “Edge of Tomorrow.”

That non-exclusive pact still allows Cruise to work for other companies like Paramount and Universal, where he’s working on a pricey film that will shoot at the International Space Station. It also gives Cruise’s company offices on Warner’s Burbank lot.

“Top Gun: Maverick” was a massive overperformer at the box office in 2022, earning $1.5 billion globally and sparking Steven Spielberg to credit Cruise with saving the theatrical business, which had been beleagured by the coronavirus pandemic.

The feature followed decades after Tony Scott’s 1986 Top Gun, which helped cement Cruise as a rising movie star. As well as being a commercial hit, the movie was also nominated for Best Picture at last year’s Oscars.

Cruise also guides the “Mission: Impossible” franchise at Paramount. He’s currently working on the eighth installment in the spy series.