‘Top Gun 3’ Officially in the Works

Top Gun is going right into the "Danzer Zone" for the third time.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, a third Top Gun film is in the works. Ehren Kruger, who co-wrote the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick, is on board writing the new script. Joe Kosinski, who directed the sequel, is also attached to direct the third film, which has reportedly been in development since Fall 2023.

Tom Cruise is also reportedly set to star in the third film, along with Top Gun: Maverick co-stars Miles Teller and Glen Powell.

News of the third film is not terribly shocking considering the success of Top Gun: Maverick. The long-awaited follow-up to the original 1986 film, the sequel grossed a whopping $1.49 billion worldwide. The release of Top Gun: Maverick was delayed multiple times. Most notably, Cruise famously put the film's release on hold during the pandemic so it could eventually be released in theaters. Considering how much it grosses, the release delay worked.

Top Gun: Maverick featured Tom Cruise reuniting on-screen with Val Kilmer. In recent years, Kilmer has maintained a low profile. This is due to issues battling throat cancer that have permanently impacted his voice.

In February 2023, Cruise appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live where a clip from Top Gun: Maverick was played featuring Kilmer. Cruise said, "I just want to say that was pretty emotional. I've known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character… he's such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again. You're just looking at Iceman."

Kimmel playfully asked Cruise about the scene, "Did you cry when you guys shot that or was it just me?" Cruise laughed and responded, "I was crying, I was crying. I got emotional. He's such a brilliant actor and I love his work."

When it comes to being sexy, height is not a factor. For these male celebrities under 5 feet 7 inches, they prove just that. As Urban Dictionary describes it, a "short king" is "a man who realizes that his lack of height has nothing to do with his perception of his own self-worth." That's exactly what these leading men in the entertainment industry do -- they break barriers. Hollywood's hottest used to be reserved for the most buff, tallest men. But now, being under the average national height isn't even a factor in a celebrity's hotness level. For the short kings who are on this list, their shortness makes them even more attractive.

The average height for men 20 years or older is about 5 feet 9 inches tall. Factors like genetics, nutrition, and medical conditions can affect a person's height. This average is based on 2015–2016 data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to Health, humans are taller than their ancestors. Ten thousand-year-old male skeletons from Europe measured 5 feet 6 inches. Even looking back to only the 1960s, the average male was an inch shorter than today’s measurements. Some countries have seen more drastic trends. One study found men in Iran have grown about 6.7 inches in the last 100 years -- that's the largest height gain in the world.

Despite humans being taller than our ancestors, our society used to rag on short men. There are still people out there who aren't attracted to others under a certain height, but for those who don't find it to be a hindrance, short men can be as hot as, if not hotter, than those who are vertically inclined. Thanks to social media apps like TikTok, short kings videos have nearly 36 million views. Or even Saturday Night Live's hilarious segment about "petite princes" and tiny titans."

Take a look at our list of the sexiest short kings under 5'7" below: