Justin Theroux says a Tropic Thunder sequel could happen with key stars returning if the right idea comes along.
Hide your heroine and beware of the pitfalls of method acting because a Tropic Thunder sequel could be on the way. No, really. Justin Theroux, who co-wrote and executive-produced the 2008 comedy, recently told CBR a sequel could happen, with Robert Downey Jr. possibly returning to reprise his role as Kirk Lazarus, the method actor who goes too hard in the paint to transform into whatever character is needed. In Tropic Thunder, a group of actors (Stiller, Black, Downey) shooting a big-budget war movie are forced to become soldiers after realizing the threat against them is real.
Speaking with CBR about his role as Rory in Tim Burton’s long-gestating sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Theroux revealed he would “definitely” do a Tropic Thunder sequel. Theroux says it would take the right idea to make getting the band back together worth everyone’s time, though it appears he’s already cooking.
“I have some stuff already churning that I’d love to do, but I’ll keep it a secret,” Theroux teased. “Hollywood just gets funnier as the years go on. It never ceases to amaze me how navel-gazing it can be. There’s a million things — we’ve gone through so many movements in Hollywood that I think those would all be somehow in the mix. Listen, if an idea strikes me, like it struck Tim [Burton], where it’s like, ‘Oh, this could be a sequel,’ I’ll definitely do a sequel.”
Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr are two actors interested in returning to Tropic Thunder. In 2023, after being told Cruise wants to reprise his role as the hot-headed studio executive Les Grossman, Downey told Extra TV he’d be glad to join a potential sequel.
The thought of organizing efforts to make a Tropic Thunder sequel fascinates me. A follow-up to Ben Stiller’s satirical comedy, which, years after its release, has been criticized for being wildly offensive, would be challenging for all involved. The original film taps into taboo comedic elements, with RDJ’s Kirk Lazarus appearing in blackface for most of the film and Ben Stiller’s Tugg Speedman playing a character in one of his movies named Simple Jack. These two elements alone were enough to get Tropic Thunder canceled by modern audiences, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The writers would need to tread carefully for a Tropic Thunder to fly in today’s cinematic climate, which could be a controversy in and of itself.
What do you think about Justin Theroux possibly returning to the jungle for a Tropic Thunder sequel? Could a movie as crude (and hilarious) as the original survive today’s audiences? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.