What should Tom Cruise do after the next two Mission: Impossible movies? That was a topic of discussion for comic book junkies Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin. During their chat, Smith suggested Cruise join the Marvel world, specifically eyeing him as the next Wolverine. He wasn't kidding, and he brought it up again later in the talk.
Kevin Smith said he's still a big fan of Tom Cruise as a product. He loves the guy's movies. The news just came out that Cruise is coming back for Mission: Impossible 7 and 8, which will film back-to-back and come out in back-to-back years, with the eighth movie arriving when Cruise turns 60.
Since Hugh Jackman has made it clear he's done as Wolverine, and Disney/Marvel is about to take ownership of the X-Men and other Fox/Marvel characters, many fans have been speculating about the future of those characters.
The Tom Cruise Marvel section of the discussion started around 1:17:00 of the Fatman Beyond video (which is the same video where Smith talked about Zack Snyder's Justice League plans):
Kevin Smith: What's he going to do next? Next movie they're going to be like 'Cruise fights a shark!'.. My only downside for [the next two Mission: Impossible movies] is it sounds like he's going to be busy then and I look forward to them bringing him into the comic book world. Like, I think he's ripe for a Marvel takeover...Marc Bernardin: He would be a really good Stryker for when they reboot the X-Men over at Marvel.Kevin Smith: No, fuck that, make him Wolverine.Marc Bernardin: He's older than the one they just replaced!Kevin Smith: I don't give a shit, dude, Tom Cruise as Wolverine makes a billion dollars. Yes!
Marc Bernardin mocked the classic Tom Cruise run, this time with Wolverine's claws slicing the air. After that, Kevin Smith suggested Tom Cruise as the new Professor X, saying he'd be good for 10-20 years in that role. He also tried to sell that idea as the first time seeing Tom Cruise bald on screen, but someone in the audience pointed out Cruise's role as bald Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder.
Kevin Smith then tried to pitch Tom Cruise as the next Mr. Fantastic. Someone in the audience suggested John Krasinski and Emily Blunt for Reed Richards and Sue Storm; Smith was OK with Blunt but said Krasinski could be The Human Torch and watch Blunt get romantic with Cruise again (after Edge of Tomorrow).
Kevin Smith returned to the topic around 1:45:00, saying he planned to stick with his suggestion of Tom Cruise as Wolverine. Watch the whole talk, if you have the time.
Kevin Smith's insistence that Tom Cruise would make a good Wolverine -- it was not met with much support from Marc Bernardin or the audience. Whether he's too old or just too Tom Cruise or just not enough Hugh Jackman, not everyone likes the idea. But the current action movie heroes are showing that age is just a number.
Here's just a small list of stars over 50 who've recently had action roles: Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Halle Berry, Vin Diesel, Josh Brolin, Linda Hamilton, Samuel L. Jackson, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Liam Neeson, Jason Statham, Helen Mirren, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Ving Rhames, Michelle Yeoh, Daniel Craig, Brad Pitt, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Harrison Ford, and Tom Cruise.
That's not an argument for Tom Cruise as Wolverine, or in the MCU at large, but his age wouldn't really be a big issue. (Besides, he never actually ages.) Keanu Reeves reportedly almost took a role in Captain Marvel but turned it down because it conflicted with John Wick 3. So now there's speculation about what he could do in the MCU in Phase 4, since the door seems wide open for new characters, new adventures, etc.
Also, Keanu Reeves once expressed interest in Wolverine himself, and there's already fan art of how he could look in the role. So ... Cruise vs. Reeves on fantasy league Old Man Logan. Not that we need another one.
With the Fox/Disney merger, all the characters that were off-limits to the MCU can now be considered for playtime. That's something Kevin Feige is probably figuring out as we speak, but it's fun to speculate as fans. Keep up with what's actually going to happen in the MCU in our guide. There's also a DCEU guide as well, since we're definitely not ignoring all the Batman (and beyond) buzz.
