Tom Cruise is set to return to the role that launched him into the stratosphere in a sequel to the 1986 hit
Top Gun, according to industry reports Friday.
Paramount Pictures has already made offers to Cruise, as well as producer Jerry Bruckheimer (
Pirates of the
Caribbean) and director Tony Scott (
The Taking of Pelham 123), according to vulture.com. Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie (
The Usual Suspects) is strapped in to write the sequel, the report said.
Cruise, who made his name as the daring Navy fighter pilot Maverick, would have a smaller role than in the original, though no details are available on the exact nature of his new part. The original Top Gun was a huge hit worldwide, taking in more than $350 million.
The report said that the film is being pushed by David Ellison, the 27-year-old son of software titan Larry Ellison, the world's sixth wealthiest man, who had raised $350 million to co-finance Paramount films, starting with Mission: Impossible 4.