A little over a year after Top Gun: Maverick took to the skies, National Geographic is revving up to take viewers on a thrilling journey into the world of elite flying. The network has announced a new docuseries, tentatively titled Top Gun: The Next Generation, focusing on the U.S. Navy’s Advanced Flight Training Program.
Produced by British outfit Rex, a part of the Zinc Media Group, this series is set to follow a group of ambitious officers as they navigate the rigorous challenges of the training program. If you’re interested in what becoming a pilot actually entails, scenes such as landing on an aircraft carrier at sea and classroom lessons on flying aptitude will have you covered.
Only a select few can climb to the highest ranks and pilot the world’s most advanced aircraft, the F-35C Lightning II. While the series is set to feature breathtaking aerial maneuvers, it’s the intimate moments with the pilots that most enthusiasts expect to be the highlights.
Tom McDonald, EVP of Global Factual and Unscripted Content for National Geographic, expressed his excitement about the project, noting the diverse stories each pilot brings to the table. “These elite jet pilots are not only extremely accomplished and impressive, but all have very different stories to tell.”
The docuseries comes on the heels of the massive success of Top Gun: Maverick, which not only became the biggest opening box office hit but also the highest-grossing film in Tom Cruise’s illustrious career. Bringing in over $1 billion post-pandemic is no small feat, as we’ve come to see in the last two years.
Although fans have their fingers crossed for another Top Gun sequel, producer Jerry Bruckheimer has hinted that Cruise’s packed schedule might pose a challenge for any such plans – after all, the man has six billion Mission Impossible sequels to run really fast in. Fortunately, with National Geographic’s new docuseries on the horizon, fans can still get their Top Gun fix.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the Top Gun series or just someone who loves to see fighter planes execute a barrel roll, the one thing you can count on is that the need for speed is alive and well.
