It would be “really hard to do” a Tropic Thunder sequel, says the original film’s composer Theodore Shapiro. The world was not ready for Ben Stiller’s insane war movie spoof when it came out back in 2008, but soon embraced the film’s over-the-top comedy, thanks in large part to a stacked cast including Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Nick Nolte and, in a truly bizarre turn, Tom Cruise. The idea of doing Tropic Thunder 2 has been floated from time-to-time over the years, but nothing has materialized, and the likelihood of a sequel seems more-and-more remote.

Count Tropic Thunder composer Shapiro among those who see slim chance of a sequel coming together. Speaking recently to ScreenRant, Shapiro admitted that he’s out of the Tropic Thunder loop these days, but says he’s game to compose the score if somehow it can be made:

I have no idea what is likely. I am the last person that you should be asking that question, but I think that it would be fun to do any of them.I feel like it would be really hard. I keep hearing over and over again that it would be impossible to do Tropic Thunder today, and that’s probably true. But if anybody can find a way in to do a Dodgeball sequel or a Tropic Thunder sequel, I’m all in for that.

Asked about rumors of a spinoff featuring Cruise’s ridiculous Les Grossman character, Shapiro indicated he’d be in favor of it:

Yeah. That would be amazing. That is an incredible character.

What This Means For Tropic Thunder 2

The Movie Landscape Is Very Different Now Than It Was In 2008

Tropic Thunder’s outrageous humor was boundary-pushing even in 2008. As Shapiro acknowledges, things have only gotten more conservative in the years since, making it difficult to imagine a sequel that could get away with a brand of comedy like the first movie’s. As for rumors of a Tropic Thunder spinoff starring Cruise, writer-director-star Stiller recently acknowledged that such a thing has been discussed, telling Extra that it would be fun to take on the project, but that nothing is in the works:

There have been some interchanges about it over the years, yeah. Look, Tom Cruise — one of my favorite human beings, one of our great movie stars of all time — it would be fun, but there is nothing in the works. But we have discussed it in the past.

Cruise himself has expressed interest in returning as Grossman, telling ComicBook.com back in 2023:

We’ll have to see, that could be fun. I really don’t know, at this moment. I’m just enjoying this night, I gotta finish [the Mission: Impossible sequels], you know what I mean?

Cruise’s presumed final Mission: Impossible movie is now out in theaters, so perhaps his schedule is clear enough to fit in the Les Grossman spinoff he and Stiller both seem game to undertake. As for other Tropic Thunder 2 ideas, the original film’s co-writer Justin Theroux said last year that he has more than one, telling ComingBook.com he thinks the time might be right to get a sequel going:

I have some stuff already churning that I’d love to do, but I’ll keep it a secret. Hollywood just gets funnier as the years go on. It never ceases to amaze me how navel-gazing it can be. There’s a million things — we’ve gone through so many movements in Hollywood that I think those would all be somehow in the mix. Listen, if an idea strikes me…where it’s like, “Oh, this could be a sequel,” I’ll definitely do a sequel.

Downey Jr.’s performance as extreme method actor Kirk Lazarus was one of Tropic Thunder’s riskiest and most hilarious, and the actor indicated in 2023 that he’d be game to try it again, telling Extra “That’s kind of a yes, and then we will figure out what the тιтle is.”

Our Take On The Chances Of A Tropic Thunder 2

Hollywood Still Needs Skewering

The humor in the original Tropic Thunder is indeed on the extreme end of things. There are numerous gross-out moments played for outrageous laughs, not to mention all the politically-incorrect character portrayals by the likes of Black, Stiller and especially Downey, who spends the entire movie in blackface (but gets away with it, because the film sends up the whole idea of blackface, depicting Downey’s character as a delusional method actor).

Though Hollywood is just as pretentious and in need of lampooning as ever, Tropic Thunder 2 might not be the absolute best means by which to deliver that skewering. Toning down the politically incorrect elements of the original would perhaps make it doable. But since the original movie exists to be as offensive as possible, toggling back on that element would arguably defeat the purpose of a sequel.

Cruise reprising the Les Grossman role in a spinoff might be the best chance for a Tropic Thunder follow-up, but it all depends on the star being willing to make it happen. Happily, the original movie is widely available, and retains its ability to shock and amuse even after nearly two decades.