I think Hollywood might belong to Tom Cruise now. Like, I think he owns the whole thing. As if having a lengthy and successful career that has spanned 40 years wasn't enough, Tom Cruise just turned the world on its ear with Top Gun: Maverick. On paper, a sequel to Top Gun sounds like a shameless cash grab, but in reality, it's a crowd-pleasing, critically successful, and shockingly high-quality cash grab. Top Gun: Maverick's worldwide box office take is north of $1 billion, and I didn't see a single superhero. Trust me, I looked.
Even though it didn't have the Maverick I was looking for, the movie was still plenty enjoyable.
What's next for Mr. Cruise, ruler of Tinsel town? Why, a musical action, thriller, of course. According to Deadline, Tom Cruise is about to use his newly rekindled clout to create a musical with Christopher McQuarrie. Normally, I'd be cynical about the project's prospects, but at this point, I'm just going to set aside my $30 for a ticket preemptively.
… Cruise and McQuarrie are hatching three new film projects. One is an original song and dance-style musical they'll craft as a star vehicle for Cruise. They are also setting up another original action film with franchise potential, and they are also fixated on Les Grossman. The latter is the gruff, dance-happy studio executive Cruise played in cameo for Tropic Thunder. It's unclear if they will create a whole movie around Grossman, or borrow him for inclusion in either of the other vehicles.
Cruise has long been interested in doing a musical. He learned to sing like a rock star for Rock of Ages, and would dance as well, with all three of these scripts to be written by McQuarrie in collaboration with Cruise.