For the past 45 years, Jerry Bruckheimer has been one of the most influential producers in Hollywood, bringing us popular movies like Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, Bad Boys, Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure, and most recently among 2025 movie releases, F1 with Brad Pitt. So, what’s next? Bruckheimer has just weighed in, and it’s worth talking out a bit.
When the producer spoke to Variety at its own Entertainment & Technology Summit, he name dropped three franchises while talking about where he’s putting his focus next. In his words:
We’re developing another ‘Top Gun.’ Hopefully, we’ll make another ‘F1.’ We’re working on another ‘Pirates.’ We’re working on a lot of different movies that have become successful and hopefully we can get ’em all made.
Bruckheimer said his hands are in about 30 projects right now, which are in various stages of development. Still, these three have to be the most high profile on everyone’s minds, and it sounds like he’s ready to deliver. Now, the producer didn’t expand on where exactly he’s at with these franchises, but he did give Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt specifically props for how they both are invested in making a “great movie” with a “great performance” for audiences that “will love it.”
Why Top Gun 3 Seems To Be Well On Its Way, And Pirates 6 Is Taking So Long
So let’s put these comments a bit more in context with what we’ve heard about them over the years.
First off with Top Gun 3. We’ve been hearing a lot more about the followup to Maverick than Pirates or the next F1 movie after the sequel was such a success in 2022. Over the summer, Joseph Kosinski said he thought they “found a way in” to continue Top Gun after Bruckheimer’s update from the year prior was that they were exploring “some interesting ideas” but hadn’t landed one. Certainly, Top Gun 3 seems to still be in the development stage as Bruckheimer confirms, but it feels like it’s only a matter of time before Cruise is back in one of those fighter jets.
Then there’s F1. The movie starring Brad Pitt had a successful box office run starting with its impressive opening weekend and $624 million worldwide gross. It’s great to hear Bruckheimer’s ready to do another sequel, but it’s worth noting Kosinski directed it, too. So it might need to be Top Gun 3, and then the second F1 movie unless another filmmaker takes it up.
Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is where things get more sticky. The last we heard about the Disney franchise was from a report that suggested Bruckheimer was developing two versions of the next Pirates movies on “parallel tracks.” One that would bring back Johnny Depp into the mix if they could get him back, and one that wouldn’t. Bruckheimer said earlier this year he thinks Depp would do it if he likes the script, and Orlando Bloom has separately shown interest, saying it would “be great to get the band back together.” But we still have yet to see official movement on which direction will actually happen.
All in all, there’s a lot to be excited about Bruckheimer’s comments. Top Gun, Pirates and F1 are crowd-pleasing franchises, and we’re curious how the producer lands with them once they get out of the development stage into production.
