A Tropic Thunder sequel is long overdue, but a spinoff with Tom Cruise seems more likely. The 2008 action-comedy was a critical and commercial success, despite some controversy over Robert Downy Jr.’s use of blackface and the movie’s depiction of people with intellectual disabilities. Tropic Thunder may look offensive from the outside, but it quickly reveals itself to be an intelligent dark satire, poking fun at pompous actors who think that they should have artistic license to portray different people however they want without suffering any backlash.
Tropic Thunder‘s Hollywood satire is just one part of what makes it so funny, as a group of pampered A-listers head into the Vietnamese jungle to film a war drama on location. There’s also some great physical comedy on display, as Tropic Thunder takes aim at action genre clichés and the narrative devolves into farce. There were calls for a Tropic Thunder sequel soon after the first movie was released, but it seems as though the time has pᴀssed. However, a Tom Cruise spinoff seems to be picking up steam.
Tom Cruise Wants A Les Grossman Spinoff Movie
Tom Cruise Is At A Crossroads In His Career
After Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise could find himself free to pursue a variety of new projects. Apparently, one of these could be a return to one of his funniest characters, since Cruise is interested in a Tropic Thunder spinoff featuring his foul-mouthed studio executive Les Grossman. This possibility has always seemed like a fun hypothetical, but it could be about to become a reality. While it would be a delight to see Cruise in a comedic role once again, a proper Tropic Thunder sequel could be a wiser option.
Les Grossman Is Better In Small Doses
A Spinoff Could Ruin What Makes The Character So Fun
Les Grossman is one of the funniest parts of Tropic Thunder, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that the character would be as good in his own movie. Grossman works well during the short bursts that he gets on screen. He seems like an exceedingly simple man, as a big-sH๏τ studio executive who likes to throw his weight around and take credit whenever things somehow go well. It’s hard to see how this entirely unsympathetic character would be able to carry his own story, no matter how funny he is in Tropic Thunder.
One reason why Les Grossman is so funny is that the audience knows it’s Tom Cruise beneath the prosthetics. It’s a complete reversal of his typical movie characters, but he still gives the role his all. On another level, it’s inherently hilarious that Tropic Thunder would cast the biggest action star in Hollywood and film all his scenes in an office while comedians like Jack Black and Ben Stiller are burdened with playing the heroes. A Les Grossman spinoff would lose these subtle jokes, and the temptation would probably be to have Cruise take a more action-heavy role.
Tropic Thunder 2 Would Be A Better Option
Tom Cruise Could Still Return In A Sequel
As much as a Les Grossman spinoff would be welcome news after 17 years of inactivity, a true Tropic Thunder sequel would be preferable. This doesn’t mean that Tom Cruise wouldn’t be involved, because it would still be hilarious to see Les Grossman and his aggressive business tactics once again, but he should be in a supporting role. For a real sequel, the bulk of the cast needs to return, especially Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. There are plenty of fun supporting characters, but this trio seems the most important.
Although it’s been a long time since Tropic Thunder, there’s still a lot of potential for a great sequel. The story could catch up with the actors from the original movie to see how their careers have developed, perhaps with more fake trailers, or it could be more directly related to the events of the first movie. Since Tropic Thunder often mocks the Hollywood system, a sequel might focus on the production of a sequel to its movie-within-a-movie. This would create another dense satire, offering the cast another chance to poke fun at themselves and their public personas.
