Tom Cruise staring into the camera as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder star and director Ben Stiller shares an update on the potential Les Grossman spinoff movie starring Tom Cruise. Released in 2008, the hit comedy follows a crew of spoiled actors as they embark on a mission in the jungle to film the greatest Vietnam War movie of all time before finding themselves facing off against a very real enemy. The Tropic Thunder cast features an array of big-name stars, including Robert Downey Jr., Matthew McConaughey, and Jack Black, but it’s Cruise and his performance as a foul-mouthed, dancing producer that remains one of the most memorable.

During a recent interview with Extra, Stiller addresses the status of a Les Grossman Tropic Thunder spinoff movie, which has been reportedly of interest to Cruise for a number of years. Stiller confirms that he and Cruise have had conversations about a Grossman spinoff in the past, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like the movie is actually in development. Check out Stiller’s comment below:

“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.”

What Stiller’s Update Means For The Les Grossman Tropic Thunder Spinoff

What Tom Cruise Has Said About The Idea

Tom Cruise with his hands raised as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder reviews were positive, and the movie was widely praised for the ways in which it makes fun of Hollywood. Cruise was a highlight at the time, but his performance also arguably lived on the most due to the rise of meme culture. Cruise’s dance sequence as Grossman is now widely available as a GIF, and one of the reasons why it lives on is because it contrasts so dramatically with the action hero roles Cruise is known for.

Stiller’s update, however, suggests that the window for a Grossman spinoff may have passed. In 2022, Cruise addressed a Grossman spinoff in an interview with ComicBook.com, saying “That could be fun“ while admitting that his current focus was on additional Mission: Impossible movies. A report from Deadline later that same year claimed that Cruise was interested in working with Mission: Impossible franchise veteran Christopher McQuarrie on some kind of Grossman-focused project. Clearly, though, no idea strong enough has come around just yet.

Our Take On A Tom Cruise Tropic Thunder Spinoff

Why It Probably Won’t Happen

Les Grossman  talking on the phone in Tropic Thunder

Cruise was hilarious as Grossman and it was refreshing to see him playing such a different kind of role. It seems, though, as if it’s now been too long to bring the character back in a full-on spinoff movie. Big-budget theatrical comedies don’t really exist anymore, and Cruise’s passion for the big screen means he likely wouldn’t do a movie set for streaming.

Tropic Thunder was made on a budget of $92 million and it grossed $195 million at the box office.

That being said, it would be great to see Cruise reprise his role as Grossman in some form. He brought the character back for an appearance at the MTV Awards several years ago, and a similar kind of appearance from the star would be welcome in the years ahead. For now, though, Tropic Thunder lives on as one of the best comedies of the 2000s, and it’s worth revisiting for Cruise’s performance alone.