Summary
Although 2024 has been an incredible year for Glen Powell, this could ironically prove a problem forTop Gun 3. Glen Powell has been around a lot longer than cinemagoers might think. The actor’s earliest roles date back to hit parts inSpy Kids 3D: Game OverandFast Food Nationbetween 2003 and 2006. Powell later rose to stardom with supporting roles inThe Expendables 3andRide Along 2alongside a scene-stealing turn in TV’sScream Queens. However, it was 2022’sTop GunsequelTop Gun: Maverickthat introduced him to the A-list.
Although Powell lost out on the role of Goose’s son Rooster, his audition was impressive enough to warrant the creation of a new character for him to play. Powell’s Hangman played a pivotal role inTop Gun: Maverick’s ending, becoming the sequel’s breakout character. Much like Val Kilmer’s originalTop Gunvillain Iceman, Hangman transcended his origins as a supporting antagonist and became a beloved figure in his own right. Since then, Powell’s career has only improved.Anyone But You,Hit Man, andTwistersproved the star has blockbuster audience appeal beforeTop Gun 3even enters production.
6 Ways Top Gun 3 Can Fully End Maverick’s Story
Top Gun: Maverick gave Tom Cruise’s Top Gun franchise hero a perfect ending, so how can Top Gun 3 continue the hero’s story without ruining this?
Glen Powell Could Be Top Gun 3’s Leading Man
The Star Has Proven A Bigger Box Office Draw Than Miles Teller
As ironic as it might sound, Powell’s improved public profile might be a problem forTop Gun 3.Top Gun: Maverick’s ending finally buried the beef between Rooster and Maverick. In the process, the sequel gave Miles Teller’s protagonist an opportunity to replace Tom Cruise’s Maverick as the hero of the series. Maverick successfully pulled off a risky final mission before settling down with Jenifer Connelly’s Penny Benjamin, meaning the timing is perfect for Rooster to take over his central role inTop Gun 3. There is just one problem with this, and that’s Powell’s popularity.
Top Gun 3 is likely to downplay the role of Cruise’s Maverick.
The box office success ofTwistersmakesTop Gun 3even more excitingsince it proves that Powell can carry a legacy sequel that doesn’t have many connections with the original movie.Top Gun 3is likely to downplay the role of Cruise’s Maverick as this would allow the series to replace its lead actor and expand its fictional universe. However,Top Gun: Maverickset up Rooster as Maverick’s replacement, not Hangman. This might prove a problem since, in the years after its release,Top Gun: Maverick’s breakout star has proven to be a profitable blockbuster lead.
Top Gun: Maverick Set Miles Teller Up As Tom Cruise’s Replacement
The Franchise Seemed Set To Make Rooster The New Maverick
Rooster’s role inTop Gun: Maverickwas precision-engineered to make him the perfect replacement for Maverick. Both Rooster and Maverick were hot-headed pilots who were undeniably skilled but struggled with teamwork and authority. Both were rebels who resented their teachers and felt that the deaths of their respective fathers left them with something to prove. AlthoughTop Gun: Maverickignored this,both Maverick and Rooster lost their fathers to plane accidents and both fueled their flying prowess with grief. Both Maverick and Rooster became better pilots when they learned to work with others, further underlining their similarities.
2016’sBleed For Thisand 2017’sThank You For Your ServiceandOnly The Braveall failed to recoup their budgets upon release.
This is a problem since, outside ofTop Gun: Maverick, the last decade of Teller’s career has been defined by high-profile flops. 2015’sFantastic Fourreboot was a disaster, whileThe Divergent Series: Allegiantfailed so badly that the franchise’s concluding chapter was quietly canceled. 2016’sBleed For Thisand 2017’sThank You For Your ServiceandOnly The Braveall failed to recoup their budgets upon release, despite the latter sharing the same director asTop Gun: Maverick. Even 2016’s satirical biopicWar Dogsunderperformed at the box office.
BothDevotionandTop Gun: Mavericksaw Powell play fighter pilots, but only one was a box office success.
Top Gun 3 May Struggle To Balance Its Three Heroes
Hangman Needs A Bigger Role Thanks To Powell’s Box Office Success
As such, it seems pretty obvious thatTop Gun 3needs to replace Teller’s Rooster with Powell’s Hangman as the franchise’s leading man. Luckily for Teller, one movie proves that this might not be the best course of action.Powell’s 2022 biographical war movieDevotionwas a box office disaster, earning only $20 million on a budget of $90 million. This catastrophic failure proves that Powell isn’t bulletproof at the box office and its similarities withTop Gun: Maverickreinforce this reality. BothDevotionandTop Gun: Mavericksaw Powell play fighter pilots, but only one was a box office success.
That said,Devotion’s failure will only become less relevant as time passes. Teller’s biggest movie sinceTop Gun: Maverick, 2022’sSpiderhead, underperformed critically upon release. Despite boasting the talents ofTop Gun: Maverickdirector Joseph Kosinski and a supporting turn from Christ Hemsworth,Spiderheadfailed to wow viewers only a few weeks afterTop Gun: Maverick’s historic success. As such,Top Gun 3may still replace Teller’s Rooster with Powell’s Hangman if the latter actor’s hot streak continues.
