Tom Cruise & Ana de Armas Spark Dating Buzz—“Top Gun 3” Hype or Hollywood Romance?

The rumour mill kicked into overdrive after TMZ published images of Cruise, 62, and de Armas, 37, sharing a late-night dinner at celebrity haunt San Vicente Bungalows, then driving off in the actor’s vintage Porsche. Industry insiders note that de Armas has long been linked to the next Top Gun installment, with casting sheets leaked in May listing a “female Cuban-American aeronautical engineer” character opposite Maverick. Paramount declined comment, while reps for both stars insist it was “a friendly meeting about an upcoming project.”

Fans immediately drew parallels to Cruise’s past PR playbook, pointing out his high-profile romances often coincided with blockbuster releases. Social media hashtags #CruiseDeArmas and #TopGun3 trended worldwide within hours, and Google Trends data show a 400 % spike in searches for the sequel. Marketing analysts suggest the potential couple narrative could deliver millions in earned media value, eclipsing traditional ad buys as the studio gears up for San Diego Comic-Con hype next month.

Skeptics caution that engineered romantic buzz can backfire if audiences feel manipulated, citing Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas’s Deep Water rollout as a cautionary tale. Yet box-office forecasters already have Top Gun 3 penciled in for a $180 million domestic opening, and any Cruise-de Armas chemistry—real or orchestrated—could push interest even higher. With production slated for September at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Hollywood will be watching to see whether this headline-grabbing dinner date blossoms into an on-screen (and off-screen) partnership.