Jay Ellis is not playing it cool. The man is straight up manifesting a Tom Cruise cameo on live television, and honestly? I respect the audacity.

So Here’s What Happened

Ellis was out promoting a new campaign with Citibank and American Airlines – normal press junket stuff – when he decided to use the moment for, uh, personal business. He told Us Magazine, point blank, that he’d love to have his Top Gun: Maverick costar swing by the set of The Rookie: North. His actual words: “I would love to have Tom come be on The Rookie: North with us. I’m throwing it out there.”

I’m throwing it out there. Not “we’ve discussed it,” not “there are talks.” Just… throwing it out there, into the void, hoping Tom Cruise’s team is scrolling through entertainment news that day. Which, honestly, is kind of a power move? You don’t ask permission first anymore, you just say the thing publicly and let the internet do the rest of the work for you.

The Best Part Though

Ellis didn’t stop at the pitch. He went and got playful with it, imagining where Cruise might actually be at any given moment, because let’s be real, the guy is never just sitting on a couch. Ellis joked, “Tom, [you should come join], wherever you are. He’s probably parachuting somewhere right now or doing a motorcycle jump over a cliff.”

Which, yeah. That’s basically Tom Cruise’s Tuesday at this point. The man free-climbed a literal mountain for fun once. If anyone’s going to skip a normal interview request because they’re mid-skydive, it’s him.

But Cruise Wasn’t the Only Name Dropped

What’s interesting here is that Ellis wasn’t just fishing for one big fish. He basically opened up the whole guest list. He said he’d love to bring in costars from across his entire career – not just Maverick, but Insecure and Running Point too.

“I would love to have some of my costars come pop in. My Top Gun: Maverick costars and Insecure folks or Running Point people.”

He also mentioned Jon Hamm by name, which – okay, side note – Hamm has been very publicly open about wanting a third Top Gun movie to happen (“I’d make it,” he’s said, no hesitation). So there’s clearly a little pocket of that Maverick cast still riding high off that movie and wanting to keep the band together in whatever form they can get it. Can’t blame them honestly. That movie made a billion dollars and everybody involved seemed like they were actually having fun, which is rarer than you’d think in big franchise films.

Will Tom Cruise Actually Show Up Though?

Here’s the thing. Network procedural crossovers and cameos happen all the time, but they’re usually filled by people who need the exposure or owe somebody a favor. Tom Cruise does not need exposure. Tom Cruise has not needed exposure since roughly 1986. So this isn’t really a “will his schedule allow it” question, it’s a “does this even remotely interest him” question.

And I’ll be honest, I don’t think it’s impossible. Cruise has shown, especially post-Maverick, that he’s a little more sentimental about the people he worked with on that film than his public persona usually lets on. He’s talked about the cast like they’re a genuine unit, not just costars who did press together for six months. If Ellis reached out privately and it was framed as “hey, this is a fun favor, low commitment, one scene,” I don’t think it’s some wild long shot.

That said – and this is just my gut take – I’d bet money it doesn’t happen before this spinoff even gets its full season order sorted out. Cruise’s calendar is genuinely insane right now. The guy has like three action movies in some stage of production at any given time. A network procedural cameo, even a fun one, is probably somewhere on page four of his priority list.

Not Gonna Lie, This Feels Like a Vibe Play

Part of me thinks Ellis knows exactly what he’s doing here. Spinoffs live and die on buzz in their first season. Nothing generates buzz like “Tom Cruise might show up on this show,” even if the odds are, realistically, kind of low. It’s a smart, low-cost way to get people talking about The Rookie: North before it’s even fully found its footing. I don’t say that as a knock against Ellis, actually – it’s a savvy move, and it’s working, because here we all are talking about it.

What This Actually Means

At minimum, we now know Ellis wants to turn The Rookie: North into a bit of a reunion tour for everyone he’s ever worked with, which honestly sounds like a fun show to make even if half the names never pan out. At maximum, we get an actual Tom Cruise scene on a network cop drama, which would be one of the funnier, more unexpected crossovers in recent TV memory.

My honest prediction? Someone from the Maverick cast shows up eventually – my money’s on Hamm, given he’s already publicly thirsty for more Top Gun content in any form. Cruise, though? I’ll believe it when I see it. But I’m not mad that Ellis is out here shooting his shot on live TV press tours. More actors should just say the quiet part out loud like this. It’s more entertaining than another round of “we’re just so grateful for the fans.”