After a year of development, Top Gun 3 is not quite ready for takeoff. Jay Ellis, who plays Lt. Reuben ‘Payback’ Fitch in Top Gun: Maverick, recently gave an update on the third installment, which was Deadline reported was in the works at Paramount in January 2024.

Jay Ellis has said Tom Cruise and Ehren Kruger are “still working on the script” for the sequel to ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. The development follows the massive success of the previous film, which grossed over $1.49 billion worldwide.

Maverick is still in development, according to star Jay Ellis. “So here's what the story's going to be. It's going to be payback. No, no [I’m kidding],” Ellis, 43, jokingly told Us Weekly exclusively at the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica,

Tom Cruise and Glen Powell in particular grabbed a lot of eyeballs for their respective portrayals. Jay Ellis, who portrayed Reuben “Payback” Fitch in the movie, recently spoke about it and gave an update, revealing what he knows about the current status of Top Gun 3 and why it’s taking so long.

Jay Ellis, who plays Lt. Reuben 'Payback' Fitch in 'Top Gun: Maverick', recently gave an update on the third instalment."So here's what the story's going to be. It's going to be Payback. No, no," he said,

The wait for Top Gun 3 continues, but according to Jay Ellis, the wheels are still turning behind the scenes. Speaking exclusively to Us Weekly at the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards, Ellis