Producer Jerry Bruckheimer says two of his biggest franchises are moving again, with Top Gun 3 holding a slight edge over a new Pirates of the Caribbean entry. Speaking during awards-season press, Bruckheimer described the projects as running close together, then added: “Right now, Top Gun is a hair ahead… We’re expecting a script shortly.”
On the aviation side, Bruckheimer has signaled the screenplay is nearing the finish line, teasing that “there’s one last ride.” The studio calculus is easy to read: Top Gun: Maverick became one of the decade’s defining theatrical hits, earning $1,495,696,292 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. A third film still depends on timing and talent availability, with no release date announced.
The Pirates of the Caribbean track remains less settled, even as Bruckheimer insists the machinery is still turning. Asked about online chatter around story direction and casting, he indicated only part of the speculation matched reality and steered attention back toward a long-discussed possibility involving Margot Robbie, saying he and Robbie have talked and praising her.
Bruckheimer has also kept the door open for Johnny Depp, framing it as a script question: “If he likes the way the part’s written, I think he would do it,” he said in a recent interview, while acknowledging the screenplay still needs work. Depp testified during his 2022 defamation trial that he wouldn’t return even for an enormous offer, reflecting the political and brand sensitivities the franchise still carries. Meanwhile, the business case remains strong: every film in the series has cleared the $650 million mark worldwide, and the franchise has produced multiple billion-dollar earners.
