Is Tom Cruise's Les Grossman Ready For His Own Movie? Why Now Is The Perfect Time For A Tropic Thunder Spin-Off

After the grand finale of the Mission: Impossible films with Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, many fans are wondering what Tom Cruise will do next. Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie have not said much. However, they have hinted at bringing back one of Cruise's most unexpected but enduring characters: Les Grossman. They are considering a spin-off film for him. Grossman was the executive producer of the movie within a movie in Tropic Thunder. He was a secondary bad guy in the comedy. He was completely fine with leaving his actors to die for money. Despite this, Grossman was and still is Tropic Thunder's best and most famous character. There is no better time than now to bring back Grossman.

Of course, Cruise is enjoying a strong moment in his career. That is part of why this idea feels right. But it is also because of how much Hollywood itself has changed since Tropic Thunder first came out. Grossman represented a certain kind of movie executive. Now, the film world is run by different types of people, making Grossman's return even more interesting. He is a character that can speak to the moment we are in right now. I think this spin-off could be a very smart move.

Tom Cruise's Unforgettable Comedic Performance As Les Grossman Is Something Special

Why The Intense Action Star Stepped Into Such A Hilarious And Surprising Role

Generally speaking, Tom Cruise is a very serious actor. He is known for his dramatic roles and for being an action star who does crazy stunts. There is a reason many call Cruise "The Last Movie Star." However, Cruise rarely, if ever, stars in straightforward comedies. He is not against lighthearted moments in his films but comedies seem to be a lower priority for him. This is why in 2008, Cruise joining Tropic Thunder as a joke about sleazy studio heads was so surprising and exciting. It showed a side of him we rarely get to see.

Originally, Cruise was supposed to play Tugg Speedman's agent, Rick Peck. Instead, Cruise suggested to Tropic Thunder writer, director, and star Ben Stiller that he play a sleazy executive producer. They created Grossman. He was a mix of infamous executives like Scott Rudin and Harvey Weinstein. Cruise was so invested in Grossman that he asked to be bald, hairy, and overweight. He even demanded to have "fat hands" and dance numbers. As Cruise recalled in a 2017 interview:

"I said, 'Do you mind, Ben? I wanna play [Les Grossman],' I said. 'I wanna have fat hands, and I wanna dance.'"

Grossman poked fun at real executives. But Cruise did not treat him like a joke. Grossman's humor came from how unrepentant he was about his anger, lack of feeling, and greed, not because he was clumsy. It was also pretty clear that Cruise based Grossman on his own experiences with real producers who were even more temperamental than his character. Sumner Redstone, the former head of Viacom, who ended Paramount Pictures' contract with Cruise in 2006 out of petty spite, comes to mind. This attention to detail made the character feel real, even in an absurd setting.

Thanks to Grossman's pointed jokes and Cruise's intense performance, Grossman became Tropic Thunder's big breakout character. Cruise even brought Grossman back at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. He opened the ceremony with a dance and cut into popular film scenes while in character. To this day, Grossman is the one character from Tropic Thunder almost everyone remembers and quotes. This is why talk of a Grossman spin-off has been around for nearly 20 years. Filmmakers and audiences have always been interested. The timing just was not right. Until now.

Hollywood Has Changed So Much That Les Grossman Now Feels Strangely Endearing

Comparing The Old School Studio Boss To Today's Corporate Executives And Why It Matters

Given its big success in 2008, Tropic Thunder feels a bit dated now. This is not because some of its jokes might be seen as offensive today. Instead, it is because Tropic Thunder and Grossman are jokes about a time that is mostly gone. The types of studios and producers who made the movie-within-the-movie Tropic Thunder are almost extinct today. After Hollywood's changes, especially with the #MeToo movement, openly abusive producers like Grossman either got better, retired, or were disgraced and jailed, like Weinstein. These changes were necessary and good.

In their place came people from Wall Street, venture capitalists, and tech experts. They have almost no experience in film, nor are they interested in film at all. Instead, they only see Hollywood as a "content farm" that they can eventually sell off cheaply. It is not an exaggeration to think they hate films, the movie theater experience, and the arts. Look no further than how Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav removed old Movies from the studio's archives for a tax break. Or how Netflix's CEO Ted Sarandos seems set on killing theaters and replacing them with streaming. Their disregard for film and filmmakers is so great that they want to replace everyone in the industry with so-called Artificial Intelligence. This shift in power makes the old-school executives look different.

Hollywood's current bosses and owners are so lacking in creativity, so openly greedy, and so proud of being soulless that an old-school executive and bully like Grossman seems oddly old-fashioned and even kind in comparison. This is not to say he was misunderstood. Or that he was secretly Tropic Thunder's real hero. Even if he was not as bad as his real-life inspirations, Grossman was and still is a terrible boss and person. He had no problem leaving his cast and crew to die. He could cash in on their insurance claims. He even resorted to bribing people to get his way. If there is a movie character who does not need a different, controversial new take, it is Grossman.

However, Grossman cannot be blamed for how he was truly, if violently, invested in Tropic Thunder. Before Flaming Dragon held the actors for ransom, Grossman yelled at the director, Damien Cockburn. He was upset that Cockburn failed to get his cast and crew in line. He expected an amazing film and production given how much money he put into it. He threatened to shut everything down if Cockburn failed again. He did not say it exactly, but Grossman was clearly the kind of obsessive producer who was fine with torturing actors for the sake of "art." It is fair to think he had the same demanding attitude towards other films. Grossman had high movie standards, and he expected them to be met. That is something you do not see much of today.

Grossman also enjoyed Hollywood's traditions. He loved breaking box office records and winning all the Oscars. He happily took credit for reviving Speedman's career, even though he was fine with letting him die not long ago. That said, Grossman only left the cast to die when Flaming Dragon appeared. Grossman's greed aside, dealing with terrorists and a hostage crisis is reasonably and legally outside a studio executive's job. In his own strange and very aggressive way, Grossman cares for films, filmmakers, and Hollywood in ways the current group of CEOs do not. That is a sad truth.

The Potential For A Les Grossman Spin-Off Now Is Stronger Than Ever Before

How A Film From The Late 2000s Character Could Speak To Today's Industry Landscape

Back in the late 2000s and early 2010s, giving Grossman his own film so soon after Tropic Thunder's release would have been rightly criticized for being too self-important. Grossman's ten or so minutes of screen time in Tropic Thunder are perfect because he never stays too long. It was smart not to give him more time than needed. This left audiences laughing and wanting more. But now that almost 20 years have passed since we last saw him, the demand for more Grossman has never been greater. This is both from nostalgia and a modern need for satire.

Just as Cruise is "The Last Movie Star," Grossman is also one of the last of his kind. It is good that bosses like Grossman are no longer accepted in the film industry. However, it is also sad that their replacements are so openly against film that they make a harsh, fictional producer like Les look better. He was made to criticize yesterday's arrogant studio bosses. But now, Grossman can be used to attack the soulless business owners who are threatening to end Hollywood for their stock portfolios' sake. That, and it will be amazing and funny to see Cruise play one of his most entertaining characters again. Director Christopher McQuarrie confirmed that he and Cruise are having "very serious conversations" about a spin-off. He said the talks are "so funny" and that it ultimately comes down to "what that character is." This sounds promising.

The biggest obstacle to making this Tropic Thunder spin-off is Cruise's busy schedule. He has a deal with Warner Bros. and is involved in many projects. He recently finished filming a new movie by director Alejandro G. Iñárritu. He is also working on Top Gun 3, which McQuarrie is writing and producing. That will be a big production that takes a lot of time. So, while a Tropic Thunder spin-off is exciting, it might not happen for a while. But the interest is definitely there. I am hopeful we will see it someday.