Since Top Gun 3 will likely address Maverick’s retirement, the sequel should achieve this via Top Gun: Maverick’s wasted original story. While Top Gun: Maverick was a critical and commercial triumph, the sequel’s success was not easily won. Top Gun: Maverick arrived in theaters over thirty-five years after the original Top Gun, with the movie taking over three decades to complete production before leaving viewers waiting for another two years thanks to release-date delays. During that time, Top Gun: Maverick went through many different incarnations, and some of the movie’s early drafts were nothing like what viewers eventually saw.
