Featured Image Credit: DreamWorks Pictures / Paramount Pictures
Topics: TV And Film
Tropic Thunder was a controversial movie from the moment it hit cinemas in 2008. The satirical action comedy film followed a group of actors attempting to make a film portraying a Vietnam War veteran’s memoir, but after being abandoned in a jungle, they realise that they’re in actual danger, and are wildly unequipped to deal with it.
Much of the criticism of the film stemmed from its portrayal of people with disabilities (and the use of ableist slurs), as well as the fact that Robert Downey Jr.’s character, Kirk Lazarus, appears in blackface (the other characters in the film are shown to have negative reactions to this).
Given all that, it’s quite a surprise to hear that there may be a Tropic Thunder spinoff or sequel in the works. Earlier this year, Far Out Magazine reported that Tom Cruise is apparently in talks with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie (who recently served as producer on Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible - Fallout) to bring his Tropic Thunder character, Les Grossman, back in some form. Far Out Magazine speculated that this could potentially be in a new movie, or even a new series.
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This comes several years after Cruise teased something very similar in a statement (via Entertainment Weekly), and joked that his actual character would be making his own movie.
“Les Grossman’s life story is an inspiring tale of the human class struggle to achieve greatness against all odds,” Cruise previously wrote. “He has assured me he plans to quote ‘F**king kill the sh*t out of this movie and make Citizen f**king Kane look like a piece of crap home movie by the time we are done.’ I am honoured to be working with him.”
More recently, as ComicBook reports, Downey Jr. was asked during the red carpet premiere for the upcoming TV series, Downey’s Dream Cars, how he felt about Cruise apparently trying to get a sequel for Tropic Thunder to happen, to which he replied: “Does he want to do that?! Tom, don't take it!”
Details about Cruise’s project are still very light on the ground, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens with it. Based on Downey Jr.’s reaction, it doesn’t sound like the Iron Man star has been involved in any plans up to this point.