Christopher McQuarrie, the mastermind behind Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, dropped a bombshell on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, revealing he and Tom Cruise are “very serious” about bringing back the foul-mouthed, larger-than-life Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder for a standalone movie. The duo, known for their high-octane collaborations, are riffing on ideas to revive the iconic studio exec, and it sounds like a wild ride in the making.
In the 2008 Ben Stiller-directed comedy Tropic Thunder, Cruise stole scenes as Les Grossman, a brash, Diet Coke-guzzling producer with a ferocious temper, oversized hands, and an unforgettable dance to Ludacris’ “Get Back.” McQuarrie told host Josh Horowitz that their talks about a Grossman film are “so f—ing funny,” sparked during breaks from the grueling Mission: Impossible shoot. “Just riffing with Tom playing Les Grossman at the table, it was one of the real joys of making this movie,” he said, describing how the character became a “decompression” outlet while filming. They’re now deep in discussions about “how best to do it,” weighing whether Grossman should lead or play a supporting role.
McQuarrie and Cruise aren’t just tossing around ideas for kicks—they’re serious about making it work. “The conversations we’ve had about Les Grossman are so f—ing funny,” McQuarrie reiterated, hinting at specific scenes they want to see Cruise play. The challenge, he noted, is finding the right story to match Grossman’s chaotic energy, modeled after real-life producer Scott Rudin. The character’s unfiltered antics and satirical bite made him a standout in Tropic Thunder, but a feature film would need to balance his over-the-top persona with a plot that resonates today.
The pair’s history of hitting box-office gold—think Top Gun: Maverick and four Mission: Impossible films—suggests they could pull it off. McQuarrie, who’s also got Top Gun 3 and a Days of Thunder sequel in the works with Cruise, said riffing on Grossman was a creative escape from The Final Reckoning’s intense production. “It was all the stuff we were doing, planning the future while slugging out the present,” he explained. Cruise, who self-choreographed Grossman’s iconic dance, clearly loves the character, and his star power could make a Grossman movie a draw.
Why hasn’t it happened yet? Timing and studio priorities, for one. McQuarrie’s been tied up with Mission: Impossible, and Hollywood’s comedic landscape has shifted since Tropic Thunder’s parody-heavy days. Still, with Cruise’s knack for defying expectations and McQuarrie’s sharp storytelling, a Les Grossman film could be a satirical gem. As the DC Universe reboots with a Superman film and Lanterns series on the horizon, McQuarrie and Cruise’s pivot to comedy feels like a fresh gamble. For now, fans can only hope those “very serious” talks lead to Grossman strutting back onto the screen.