He’s good, Rooster — he’s very good. Actor Glen Powell portrayed the megalomaniac Hangman, who eventually comes through and saves Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise) and Rooster’s (Miles Teller) lives at the conclusion ofTop Gun: Maverick, and Powell’s involvement inTop Gun 3has been confirmed. But while Powell promises “fun stuff” coming in the way of announcements about the sequel soon, even Jake “Hangman” Seresin himself doesn’t have much to offer in the way of spoilers for the next installment in the film franchise. Powell said in an interview withVariety:
“People looked at me like I knew what was going on. There is going to be some fun stuff being announced soon… but it was confidential to me. I talk to [Joseph] Kosinski, Cruise and Jerry [Bruckheimer] all the time. There is stuff happening and it sounds very exciting. I don’t know when I’ll be going back… I’m sure there is a jet waiting for me sometime in the future.”
Powell’s Hangman was reminiscent of Val Kilmer’s Iceman from the originalTop Gun. However, despite his massive ego, Hangman disobeys orders at the conclusion ofTop Gun: Maverickin order to save his teammates Mitchell and Rooster from certain death. And while Hangman became a fan favorite, another character’s fate when it comes to returning forTop Gun 3hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Related:Top Gun Maverick: 10 Reasons it Surpasses the Original
Will Payback Return in Top Gun 3?
Prior to the start of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, news broke thatTom Cruise, Miles Teller and Glen Powell would all three return and reprise their roles inTop Gun 3. Cruise’s involvement as the OG franchise character Pete “Maverick” Mitchell was assured, but Teller will also playGoose’s (Anthony Edwards) son, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshawagain.
And while the Iceman-like character of Hangman (Powell) will also return for the third installment in the film series, the fate of actor Jay Ellis’ Lt. Reuben “Payback” Fitch isn’t quite as certain. When asked about his involvement inTop Gun 3, Ellis couldn’t offer a concrete answer. Ellis said in a video posted onDeadline’s official X, formerly Twitter, account:
“I don’t know if I’m back for Top Gun 3, but I hope that I am. I’ll be happy to suit up. Payback’s ready if they need me, but I haven’t had any conversations about it. You know more than I do at this point, so if you find out anything please let me know about it.”
At the time of this writing, Paramount Pictures has not announced a projected release date forTop Gun 3. However, fans can watch Ellis' interview with Deadline in its entirety below:
