Will it be Maverick, Ethan Hunt, or Jack Reacher in Tom Cruise’s franchise future?

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Speaking to Paramount Film Group President Adam Goodman, THR brought out a lot of interesting tidbits about Paramount’s upcoming slate of films, including three of them with Tom Cruise.  There’s been ruminations of a TOP GUN sequel for years, but just recently the project has gained altitude with both Cruise and original director, Tony Scott, showing serious interest in the project.

With the recent smash hit MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE GHOST PROTOCOL, another entry in that franchise is all but guaranteed.  However, Cruise is finishing up the adaptation of Lee Child’s ONE SHOT with director Christopher McQuarrie (WAY OF THE GUN, VALKYRIE) and has a laundry list of projects after that. 

Cruise on the set of One Shot.

When asked what the plans were for the two franchises, Goodman said:

“We’ll likely make a TOP GUN sequel with Tom Cruise first. Jerry Bruckheimer would produce, with Tony Scott returning to direct. All parties are moving ahead. We’ve hired Peter Craig (THE TOWN) to write the script.”

The Top Gun team reunites: Bruckheimer, Cruise, McGillis, and Scott

Goodman also confirmed the schedule switch with Cruise’s ONE SHOT with Brad Pitt’s WORLD WAR Z:

“It is an action-adventure movie with a lot of extreme ideas — i.e., a world war with zombies — so it felt more like a summer tentpole. One Shot, starring Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, seemed like a great Christmas opportunity, so we moved that up. We see One Shot, based on Lee Child’s novels, as a potential franchise.”

Cruise may have had a lag in the past few years, but it seems like he’s really picking up steam in the next evolution of his career, scooping up franchises left and right, as well as jumping into the sci-fi genre with OBLIVION for director Joseph Kosinski (TRON LEGACY), as well as Doug Liman’s (MR. AND MRS. SMITH) ALL YOU NEED IS KILL.

I’m a Tom Cruise fan, and, like Mel Gibson, I don’t give a shit what he does in his personal life unless it’s something reprehensible.  Believing in aliens and jumping on couches on a crappy talk show aren’t going to make me blacklist the guys films.  He’s been in some of the best films ever made, so I won’t begrudge him a little crazy.  If Tony Scott does indeed reteam with Cruise for a TOP GUN 2 you can bet your Kenny Loggins CD collection I’ll be there.

Cruise with the late Don Simpson, godfather of the high-concept movie.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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