After days of public speculation, a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon has been shot down by a fighter jet pilot and social media is already writing the script for Top Gun 3.
The balloon first appeared in US airspace this past Wednesday, prompting many to wonder what the balloon’s purpose could be. US government reported they had been following the balloon’s trajectory for several days through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint Canadian-American organization, and were debating shooting it down. Under mounting pressure, president Biden approved a plan to shoot down the balloon but defense officials advised the President to wait until the balloon was no longer over land, as falling debris could harm civilians.
Due to the balloon, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken decided to cancel a diplomatic trip to Beijing, telling CNN the balloon incident is “a clear violation of US sovereignty and international law” and an “irresponsible act.” China denied the balloon was meant for surveillance, claiming the balloon is a “civilian airship” used for weather research that blew off course.
Before the balloon was shot down earlier today, a US official told CNN that shooting down the balloon wouldn’t be as easy as it is in the movies. ““This isn’t like ‘Top Gun’ where it just explodes and doesn’t go anywhere,” they told reporters on Friday. When footage of actual Top Gun jet fighters taking down the balloon went viral, social media disagreed with the official; this was exactly like Top Gun.
While many fans believe Top Gun: Maverick is a perfect ending to Maverick’s story and Top Gun 3 isn’t necessary, Twitter seems to disagree. Immediately after videos of the balloon’s demise spread, many thought the footage looked like something straight out of the Top Gun franchise. The video sparked creativity in many Twitter users, as they started working on their own imaginary scripts for a possible third film, with ideas ranging from an aged Maverick being chased by balloons to the famed pilot training inexperienced jet pilots to shoot down enemy balloons.
Some users quipped that Maverick will be in his 90s in the next film, considering the 36-year gap between the first two films. Knowing Tom Cruise, even senior citizen Maverick would be in top shape to deal with the impending balloon threat in the potential third movie.
The US says there’s been sightings of similar balloons in recent years, and on Friday, the Pentagon reported a second possible balloon flying over Latin America. Only time will tell if the balloons make it into a future Top Gun film.