Latest news with #McQuarrie
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Top Gun 3' story 'wasn't hard' to figure out, Christopher McQuarrie teases: 'It's already in the bag'
Cue the Elle Woods "What, like it's hard?" jokes. Fresh off the success of their latest Mission: Impossible team up in The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie are in a good place to get back in the saddle together again with Top Gun 3 — in fact, McQuarrie teases the story is "already in the bag," and it "wasn't hard" to do it. In a recent conversation on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, McQuarrie, who co-wrote and produced Top Gun: Maverick, was asked if a third film was "harder to crack" than the long-awaited Maverick, to which he quickly answered, 'No, it's already in the bag.' 'It wasn't hard,' McQuarrie said. 'I thought it would be, and that's a good place to go from as you walk into the room going, 'Come on, what are we going to do?' And [Maverick co-writer] Ehren Kruger pitched something, and I went, 'Mmm actually,' and we had one conversation about it, and the framework is there. So, no, it's not hard to crack. The truth of the matter is, none of these are hard to crack.' He added that it's the emotion behind the story that is the most difficult aspect to get right. "It's as you start to execute it, and as you start to interrogate it, as you start [to think] why these movies are made the way they are,' he added. 'It's not the action, it's not even the level of or intensity of or the scope and scale of the action [or] the engineering around the action, it's none of those things — it's the emotion.' McQuarrie's comments echo ones made by Cruise during an interview earlier in May, when he said both a Top Gun 3 and sequel to his 1990 racing film Days of Thunder were actively being discussed. 'Yeah, we're thinking and talking about many different stories and what could we do and what's possible,' Cruise told Today Show Australia at the time. 'It took me 35 years to figure out Top Gun: Maverick, so all of these things we're working on, we're discussing Days of Thunder and Top Gun: Maverick." A sequel to the 1986 classic, Top Gun: Maverick was the epitome of peak summer blockbuster when it soared into theaters in May 2022. The film — which starred Cruise, Glen Powell, Miles Teller, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, and more — earned $1.48 billion at the global box office, making it the 12th highest-grossing film of all time. It was also nominated for six Oscars, taking home the award for Best also previously hinted at his return as Hangman while visiting The Kelly Clarkson Show last May. "It's above my pay grade," he admitted when asked if a third film was happening, "but, yeah, I have a feeling there's probably a cockpit with my name on it." Puck first reported in January 2024 that a Top Gun 3 was in the works at Paramount, with Kruger on tap to pen the script, and Maverick director Joseph Kosinski in talks to return as well. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie Are Having ‘Serious Conversations' About a ‘Tropic Thunder' Spinoff
Though still in the thick of promoting 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' writer/director Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise are already working on their next pair-up — it just might not be what you expect. 'The conversations we've had about Les Grossman are so fucking funny,' McQuarrie said in a recent interview with Josh Horowitz on his 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast. More from IndieWire 'Mission: Impossible': Director Christopher McQuarrie Climbed Onto the Wing of a 140-mph Plane Himself All 8 'Mission: Impossible' Movies, Ranked Worst to Best Cruise played the fictional Hollywood power player in the 2008 satire 'Tropic Thunder' from director Ben Stiller. Heavily modeled on Scott Rudin, Grossman is a Diet Coke-swilling, obscenity-prone producer with no filter and tendencies toward anger, as well as dance. It may sound silly to center an entire film around him, but McQuarrie and Cruise are actively looking for a way in. 'We're having serious conversations about it and how best to do it,' McQuarrie said. 'It ultimately comes down to what that character is.' The big question remains whether people will want to watch a film with Grossman as the lead character. McQuarrie explained that the 'leading man' status Cruise holds makes it difficult to place him in roles that are so monstrous. Even with 'Magnolia,' which earned Cruise an Academy Award nomination, the actor was part of a very large ensemble, making it easier for him not to have to carry the whole film. 'Ethan Hunt, a character of whom people can be critical, is on rails,' said McQuarrie. 'There's so little he is able to do outside of his responsibilities as a leading man and when you try and push those boundaries, 'Mission' instantaneously cease to become 'Mission.'' Right now, McQuarrie and Cruise are not trying to figure out a plot to drop Grossman into as much as they're thinking of specific scenes they'd like to see him play. Moreover, discussing ideas around this character has offered a welcome reprieve from their other responsibilities, particularly on 'The Final Reckoning.' 'Just to be sitting at the breakfast table, not talking about the movie we're making for a minute,' McQuarrie told Horowitz, 'is such decompression. And just riffing with Tom, playing to Les Grossman — it was one of the real joys of making this movie.' In addition to this possible 'Tropic Thunder' spinoff, McQuarrie and Cruise are also working on a number of other ideas, including a 'Days of Thunder' sequel, another installment in the 'Top Gun' franchise, and a musical. Watch McQuarrie's full interview on 'Happy Sad Confused' below. 'Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning' is currently in theaters from Paramount Pictures. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie The 55 Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mission: Impossible 8 Director on Why Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa Doesn't Return
Christopher McQuarrie has explained why Mission: Impossible 8 did not bring back Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa Faust, addressing fan reactions following her death in the previous film. He emphasized the importance of permanent consequences in the franchise's storytelling. McQuarrie also discussed how this decision supports the series' emotional impact and realism. Rebecca Ferguson's character, Ilsa Faust, does not return in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning following her death in Dead Reckoning. Despite fan backlash and theories suggesting she might have survived. Director Christopher McQuarrie has confirmed her death is permanent. Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, McQuarrie said, 'The death of essential characters has followed Ethan throughout every one of these movies. I don't think up until that point a character that resonated so deeply with the audience had died… that wouldn't motivate me to undo the one thing that gives Mission: Impossible teeth, which is death is permanent.' He emphasized that undoing her death would weaken the franchise's emotional stakes and credibility. Fan theories suggested that Ilsa faked her death as part of a plan against the Entity, supported by Ethan's earlier instructions and symbolic cues from the title Dead Reckoning. Some pointed to Biblical allusions and narrative gaps as signs that she might reappear. However, McQuarrie dismissed these speculations following the film's release. Since Dead Reckoning premiered in 2023, McQuarrie has repeatedly addressed the issue, stating that Ilsa's death serves a narrative purpose and that they will not reverse it. Now that The Final Reckoning is in theaters, the creative team confirms Ilsa's absence to maintain continuity and emotional weight. The eighth installment, written by McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen, sees Ethan Hunt and his IMF team confronting the AI known as the Entity. While several returning characters appear in The Final Reckoning, Ferguson's Ilsa is notably absent due to the story's commitment to realistic consequences. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning released on May 23, 2025, with a runtime of 170 minutes. It is directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who previously directed several entries in the franchise. The post Mission: Impossible 8 Director on Why Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa Doesn't Return appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Exciting New Details Emerge About ‘Top Gun 3'
More recently, Tom Cruise has once again soared his way into theaters with the release of his latest box office epic, Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning. The eighth and final installment in the hit Mission: Impossible series, The Final Reckoning has proven to be an exciting send-off to Cruise's long-running action franchise, rounding out the series with a fittingly explosive bang. As audiences head to theaters to witness the final M:I film on the big screen, many are wondering what the future holds for another of Cruise's famed action properties with Top Gun. Earning rave reviews and breaking all kinds of financial records with its 2022 sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, Top Gun has since become one of the most popular entries in Cruise's extensive filmography. With speculation running rampant about the future for the Top Gun series, Maverick's co-writer and Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie has provided additional details about Top Gun 3's planned storyline. Appearing on a recent episode of Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, the 56-year-old filmmaker was asked if he had any difficulty planning Top Gun 3's main storyline. In response, McQuarrie promptly clapped back, "No, it's already in the bag." McQuarrie -- who has worked with the 62-year-old Cruise on Mission: Impossible, Jack Reacher and Top Gun -- discussed the potential directions Top Gun 3 might take, further emphasizing the emotional depth that made Maverick so captivating in the first place. "It's as you start to execute it, and as you start to interrogate it, as you start [to think] why these movies are made the way they are," McQuarrie said. "It's not the action, it's not even the level of or intensity of or the scope and scale of the action [or] the engineering around the action, it's none of those things - it's the emotion." Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Geek Tyrant
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Christopher McQuarrie Opens Up About His Scrapped MAN OF STEEL 2 and GREEN LANTERN Plans - 'It Was F–king Good' — GeekTyrant
Years before James Gunn was brought in to hit the reset button on the DC Cinematic Universe, Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie had big, exciting, and (by his own account) 'f**king good' plans for Superman and Green Lantern. But despite his vision and his established chemistry with Henry Cavill, none of it ever saw the light of day. Following the release of Mission: Impossible – Fallout in 2018, McQuarrie approached Warner Bros. with a pitch for Man of Steel 2 , an idea that would also connect to a new Green Lantern reboot. At the time, Cavill had just crushed it as Fallout 's villainous CIA assassin, August Walker, and the two were eager to collaborate again. In a recent conversation with Josh Horowitz, McQuarrie kept his Superman cards close to his chest: 'I'll never tell. I'll never tell, but boy was it fing good. It was f**king good.' But McQuarrie left us with one tease, a peek into what Man of Steel 2 could've been: 'I will tell you, the first 5 minutes of my Superman movie remember Pixar's Up? [It was] a sequence with no dialogue that covered that character. '[It] was a set-up, after which you knew exactly what makes Superman tick and exactly what Superman was most afraid of and why Superman made the choices he made. It would have been epic. The scale of the movie would have been absolutely extraordinary.' Well, I would'e loved to see that. He went on to open up about the Green Lantern side of the story, revealing a creative approach that tackled one of the character's biggest challenges… his seemingly limitless power. 'Green Lantern was what came to me. Green Lantern is a tough one. The power is... I cracked it, and it was fun watching him learn how to use that power and giving that power a flaw, so it was not pure invincibility.' He added: 'The whole concept of Green Lantern is that the ring has to be recharged. That's not a bug, it's a feature. Yes, you have infinite power, but you only have so much battery life, and that can run out at inconvenient times. That, for me, solved the whole Green Lantern problem. The costume is another thing.' McQuarrie wasn't focused on flashy suits or overdone CGI. His priority was character: 'I realised, don't worry about the costume, worry about the character. How do you give that character tension and stakes? Also, how do you do it with Superman? 'Henry had a take on that, and I suddenly realised how these two characters had amazing similarities, which also allowed for amazing conflict and an amazing universe-expanding resolution.' Unfortunately, McQuarrie's ideas were shelved. Even when Cavill briefly returned as Superman in Black Adam , WB reportedly reached out again, but the clock had already started ticking on Gunn's Superman reboot and that door quietly closed. We'll never see McQuarrie's Superman take flight, but it's hard not to wonder what could've been. With the Mission: Impossible saga behind him, maybe one day we'll see him jump into the superhero world and play in that sandbox.
