Top Gun 2 Can Set Up A Sequel Without Tom Cruise

screenrant.com:

While Top Gun: Maverick is a Tom Cruise vehicle through and through, the movie makes a smart decision by appearing to copy Scream 2022’s formula and set up a sequel without its leading star. Top Gun 2's rip-roaring approach to date has been admirable as it attempts to establish a whole new blockbuster cast while also getting fans nostalgic for its returning characters after a 36-year hiatus. Yet as much as Top Gun: Maverick wants Iceman and Maverick’s reunion to pull on the heartstrings; the franchise installment also owes its new cast members their moment in the spotlight.

In practical terms, studios can’t guarantee that subsequent sequels will be a success unless viewers care about both generations of characters. In artistic terms, centering a new movie entirely around legacy characters can feel tired, leading critics to ask why the creators didn’t just opt to stage a cast reunion instead of making an entire sequel. As such, sequels like Top Gun: Maverick andScream 2022 are faced with a tricky catch-22 as they must get viewers invested in new stars while also hyping up the old guard.

Related: Why Jon Hamm’s Comments Are Good News For Top Gun 2

Fortunately, Top Gun: Maverick’s trailers prove the movie can replicateScream 2022’s biggest coup in this regard. The Top Gun 2 teaser holds off on revealing Maverick for its opening half, focusing instead on the chemistry between new characters like Glen Powell’s Hangman and Monica Barbara’s Phoenix. Similarly, the critically acclaimed Scream 2022 was about halfway underway before franchise star Sidney Prescott made her much-vaunted screen return. While the trailers pulled this off well, it remains to be seen whether the Top Gun sequel itself can repeat this trick.

Ideally, Top