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Jennifer Connelly recently spoke to Entertainment Tonight and shed light on possibly being part of Top Gun 3. She portrayed Penny in Top Gun 2 and mentioned that she was "ready" for a third installment in the franchise. Speaking to ET's Nischelle Turner on Monday, April 29, 2024, during the Dark Matter premiere in Los Angeles, she said-
"I'll be there. I'm ready. We had such a great time shooting it. It was fun."
Jennifer Connelly played the character of Penny Benjamin, who was Pete "Maverick" Mitchell's romantic interest. Although she was just mentioned in Top Gun, she was present in Top Gun: Maverick.
Jennifer Connelly played Maverick's love interest, Penny, in Top Gun: Maverick
Jennifer Connelly joined the cast as Penny Benjamin, the new love interest in Top Gun: Maverick. Her cameo in Maverick is based on a small side story from the original Top Gun, which grows into a strong, romantic relationship in the sequel.
Before Maverick fell in love with Top Gun instructor Charlotte Blackwood, played by Kelly McGillis in the first Top Gun movie, Penny Benjamin was Maverick's girlfriend.
Top Gun: Maverick implied that he and Penny have had a long-term, on-again, off-again relationship. The movie also suggested that the two were genuinely in love with one another.
In the Top Gun sequel, Jennifer Connelly played Penny, an endearing, compassionate, and somewhat humorous character.
Penny was a single mother of a girl named Amelia Benjamin and managed a bar close to the TOP GUN detachment's site, which is close to Naval Air Station North Island. Penny, along with her daughter Amelia, live alone. Amelia mentioned that Penny's father lived in Hawaii with a different woman, suggesting that Penny was most likely divorced.
During his return to Top Gun Academy as an instructor, Maverick initially met Penny at her bar. They rekindled their connection by flirting lightly and chatting briefly about their pasts.
Penny, however, informed Maverick that she only wanted to remain friends, to which Maverick agreed, even though he was initially reluctant.
Later in the movie, Maverick assists Penny in maneuvering a sailboat. After a while, they went on a secret date, and at the end of the evening, Maverick had to slip out of Penny's window.
When Maverick returns from the mission alive at the end of the movie, he looks for Penny, but she's gone. She eventually returned and met with Maverick, who gave her a ride in his P-51 Mustang.
Similar to Maverick, Penny had gone through ups and downs in her life. She had a daughter that she was likely raising on her own, and she was also in a failed marriage.
Jennifer Connelly dropped hints about Top Gun 3
Talking about Top Gun 3 during her ET interview on April 28, 2024, Jennifer Connelly said that she is eager to appear on screen alongside Glen Powell, Miles Teller, Tom Cruise, and other actors from Top Gun. She also added that she hasn't yet seen the script for the third movie.
"I had a casual chat with my friend, Joe Kosinski, who directed it, who I worked with twice now. I'm his biggest fan. I think he's so great. [I talked to him] about the possibility of it, but I don't know anything concrete."
Connelly's interview came within four months after Puck News reported that Cruise, Powell, and Teller would be making a comeback in Top Gun 3.
On the other hand, the producer of Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick, Jerry Bruckheimer, informed PEOPLE in a March 28 interview that they are creating a third installment of Top Gun. Nevertheless, the release date of the movie has yet to be confirmed.
Jennifer Connelly is now promoting Dark Matter, an American science fiction Apple TV+ series. She co-wrote the series with Joel Edgerton based on Blake Crouch's novel of the same name. The show will debut on Apple TV+ on May 8, 2024.
