Meg Ryan wasn’t in Top Gun: Maverick, but her latest career update increases the chances of her being in Top Gun 3. In 2022, Tom Cruise revisited his iconic role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the Top Gun sequel, which was four decades in the making. Unlike its predecessor, Top Gun: Maverick focused on its titular character, who struggled to let go of some of his hang-ups from his past. Reuniting with Rooster — the son of his former RIO, Goose’s son, further made Maverick’s arc so much more complicated. Aside from that, Rooster’s introduction also raised questions about the whereabouts of Ryan’s Carole Bradshaw.
Top Gun: Maverick didn’t shy away from leaning on nostalgia while also making sure to offer something new to the viewers. Despite the temptation to bring back more original Top Gun characters, director Joseph Kosinski didn’t want to include cameos without any narrative importance. So aside from Cruise’s Maverick, only Val Kilmer’s Tom “Iceman” Kazansky returned from the 1986 cult classic. That being said, considering how integral adult Rooster was, Ryan’s absence in Top Gun: Maverick was definitely a point of conversation. The sequel justified this by revealing that the Bradshaw matriarch has already died, but a new update opens the door for her cameo in Top Gun 3.
Meg Ryan’s Return To Acting Opens The Door For Top Gun 3
Leading to the release of Top Gun: Maverick, speculations were rampant about the potential appearance from Carole, considering Rooster’s involvement in the sequel. By then, Ryan had stepped away from Hollywood, with her last projects, Ithaca and Fan Girl, both being released in 2015. Despite this, Paramount was reportedly tinkering with the possibility of recasting the role, with rumors that Yes, Dear star Jean Louisa Kelly would play Goose’s wife in Top Gun: Maverick. Obviously, that didn’t happen. The successful sequel opted to simply come up with an explanation as to Carole’s whereabouts while her son and husband’s best friend risked their lives for a mission.
Eight years since her last Hollywood endeavor, Ryan is returning to the industry with a brand-new project, What Happens Later. Announced by the actor herself on her official Instagram account in 2022, the film will star the rom-com darling and David Duchovny as ex-lovers who find their way back into each other. Ryan will also direct the project, which is set to release this year. This indicates that she is ready to fully return to acting, which means that she may finally be available to make an appearance as Carole Bradshaw for the much-clamored Top Gun 3 project.
How Top Gun 3 Can Bring Back Meg Ryan’s Carole Bradshaw
The introduction of Rooster not only had narrative importance to Top Gun: Maverick, but his arrival is also meant to ensure the future of the burgeoning franchise. After the sequel focused on Maverick, future stories need to finally move on from him. This is where his contemporaries, led by Rooster, would come in. If this is the case, Top Gun 3 could delve deeper into the young Bradley’s personal story, which his mother is an integral part of.
If Rooster fronts the threequel, it will be the first time that the Top Gun franchise will focus on a work-in-progress pilot. By the time Maverick and Iceman debuted in Top Gun, both were already fully great in their craft. Carole may already be dead in the Top Gun franchise, but it doesn’t mean that Top Gun 3 cannot bring her back via flashbacks, or maybe even visions. If the proposed film delves deep into what makes Rooster tick, it’s imperative that it also examines his relationship with his mother, who was against him following the footsteps of his father, considering what happened to Goose.
Why Meg Ryan Needs To Be In Top Gun 3
Top Gun: Maverick was able to find a way to efficiently explain Carole’s absence in the movie through Maverick’s story about why Rooster was mad at him. That being said, if Goose’s son is being groomed to one day take over the Paramount action franchise, viewers need to fully understand him as a character, so they can root for him. One way to do that is to flesh out his character further by showing more of his backstory. It would be great to learn additional details about how life had been for Rooster and Carole on the heels of Goose’s death, and Top Gun 3 can do this via flashbacks
