Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection Christopher McQuarrie, who co-wroteTop Gun: Maverick,said the storyline for its follow-up film is "already in the bag" He said the idea for the story came from a pitch from fellowTop Gun: Maverickwriter Ehren Kruger McQuarrie noted that while the storyline for the films aren't "hard to crack," getting to the heart and "emotion" of the film is A storyline has already been set for a third installment to theTop Gunfranchise. Christopher McQuarrie, 56, who co-wrote and produced the 2022 box office sensationTop Gun: Maverick,shared some insight into how the third film is progressing on the May 26th episode of Josh Horowitz'sHappy, Sad Confusedpodcast. When host Horowitz asked him whetherTop Gun 3was "harder to crack in some ways thanTop Gun: Maverick," the writer and producer admitted, "No, it's already in the bag." "I already know what it is. It wasn't hard," McQuarrie, who also directed Cruise in severalMission: Impossiblefilms, added. Scott Garfield / Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection Related:Tom Cruise Feeling the Need for Speed Again inTop Gun 3Movie: Report He went on to say that he thought it "would be" difficult to come up with a storyline for the third movie, but that ultimately the writers were able to think of a premise that worked. "You walk into the room going, 'Come on, what are we going to do?' And [Top Gun: Maverickwriter] Ehren Kruger pitched something, and I went 'Hmm, actually…' And we had one conversation about it," McQuarrie explained. "The framework is there, so no, it's not hard to crack," he added. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. McQuarrie shared that "none" of the films are "hard to crack" when it comes to the storyline, but what really makes or breaks a film is the way it is "executed." He said that one of the main things that has to shine through theTop Gunfilms is the "emotion" and heart of the characters. "Getting to that place, finding the right emotional balance wherein you have a conflict between these two characters [Maverick and Goose]…Tom [Cruise]and I inherently understood that balance…" he said. McQuarrie's comments come a few months afterTop GunandTop Gun: MaverickproducerJerry Bruckheimer, 80, teased to PEOPLE while promoting his film,The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, that they were "working on"Top Gun 3. "We pitched Tom a story he liked. But he's a very in-demand actor and he's got a lot of movies lined up, so we have to wait and see," Bruckheimer added at the time. Top Gun: Maverickgrossed nearly$1.5 billionat the worldwide box office following its release in 2022. The sequel was the highest-grossing movie at the domestic box office that calendar year and currently stands out as thefifth-highest-grossing movie of all timein the U.S. and 12th-highest in the world. MultipleMaverickstars previously confirmed that there have been talks of a third installment.Miles Teller, who plays Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw in the film, revealed in July 2022 that he and Cruise had "been having some conversations" aboutthe possibility of another movie. Glen Powell, who portrayed Lt. Jake "Hangman," in the film also shared in July 2024 that hehad "a date" when it came to filming the third installment of theTop Gunseries. Read the original article onPeople