Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller may have been the most prominent men of Tropic ThunderBut, it depends on who you talk to, some might argue that Tom Cruise stole this show as Les Grossman (ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, studio executive) in the action comedy. Donning a fatsuit, prosthetic hands and bald cap to bring this character he invented to life, Cruise’s performance, which included sweet dance moves, scored a Golden Globe nomination, and there’s been talk for years about Grossman coming back. Cruise is reportedly looking to partner with Christopher McQuarrie in making these efforts a reality.
Since Christopher McQuarrie took over writing and directorial duties on the movie, Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie have been close friends Mission: Impossible franchise, starting with 2015’s Rogue NationMcQuarrie did uncredited rewrites Ghost Protocol). They are currently working together. Mission: Impossible 8, a.k.a. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part TwoHowever, the public can see their collective work in the form: Maverick is the Top GunMcQuarrie also co-wrote the book. These stories were based on Ethan Hunt, Pete and have enjoyed great success together. “Maverick” Mitchell, DeadlineAccording to reports, Cruise and McQuarrie have now been “fixated” on Les Grossman, although it’s unclear if they’re looking to craft an entire movie around him or include him in one of the other film projects they have cooking.
In 2010, the idea of a Les Grossman sequel movie was first presented. Tropic ThunderThe book was released. In 2012, Michael Bacall, who wrote this version of the spinoff, said the story would explore the origin of Grossman’s anger issues. A decade later, one wouldn’t have been faulted for thinking that this project had been shelved, but evidently Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie are determined to bring this character back to the big screen. Two questions arise if they decide to continue with a simple spinoff. First, will Bacall’s script still be used, or will someone else be hired to deliver a different take? Do you think any other actors will be able to do the same? Tropic ThunderIt features characters.
As already mentioned though, there’s the possibility that Les Grossman could simply retain his supporting character status in something else Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie are working on. Deadline’s story also mentioned that the duo have an “an original song and dance-style musical” that Cruise is intended to lead, as well as “another original action film with franchise potential.” It’s hard to envision Grossman fitting organically into either of these projects, although the image of an angry Grossman belting out songs in a musical is entertaining enough that I’d gladly pay to see the final product. We already know Grossman has the moves, as you’ll see in the clip below, so why not throw singing into the mix too?
To be clear, just because Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie are working on these projects doesn’t necessarily mean all of them will see the light of day. Maybe something Les Grossman-centric stands a better chance of moving forward because it’s tied to a popular comedy, or maybe studio executives are more interested in Tom Cruise leading another action movie or showing off his musical chops (he previously sang in Rock of Ages) rather than reprising a character from a movie that was released almost a decade and a half ago. Oh, and let’s not forget that Cruise also still has that movie he intends to shoot in outer space with Doug Liman. It’s not hard to imagine that Cruise will take a lot out of his time.
CinemaBlend will continue sharing updates on what’s coming up in Tom Cruise’s career, but for now, you can still see Maverick is the Top Gun scoring box office records in theaters alongside plenty of other 2022 movie releases, and we’ll see the actor back in action as Ethan Hunt when Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part OnOn July 14, 2023, e will arrive.