If the reports of Top Gun 3’s accelerated development are true, and the studio wants to turn Top Gun into a long-running franchise, then the threequel needs to finally confirm Tom Cruise’s official replacement. Top Gun: Maverick introduced a handful of lovable new characters who could take the mantle from Cruise, but the sequel didn’t end with Cruise passing the torch to a new franchise star. By the end of Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise’s Maverick is still very much the focus of the story.
https://screenrant.com/top-gun-3-tom-cruise-maverick-replacement-problem-sequels/