Why These Tom Cruise Movies Never Got A Sequel

Despite starring in countless box office hits, Tom Cruise has often eschewed sequels in his lengthy career as a leading man. While the original "Mission: Impossible" has spawned multiple follow-ups, the only other Tom Cruise movies to inspire sequels are "Jack Reacher" and "Top Gun." Otherwise, his star vehicles often function as one-and-done entities. This makes sense considering how many Cruise features aren't exactly the kind of titles that can spawn cinematic universes. Would sequels to movies like "Rain Man" or "Eyes Wide Shut," for example, register as anything but bizarre cash grabs?

However, that doesn't mean there haven't been attempts over the years to extend the lifespan of certain Cruise movies with sequels that never got off the ground. But for a wide variety of reasons, a slew of sequels, prequels, or assorted spinoffs to various Cruise features have failed to come to fruition. The factors that ensured these follow-ups would only remain ideas rather than finished films range heavily, from Cruise's busy schedule to subpar box office results of the original movie dampening enthusiasm for sequels, among many other elements. While there aren't a ton of completed part twos in Cruise's filmography, there are a gigantic amount of Tom Cruise sequels that never saw the light of day. Warning — there are spoilers below.

Even though everyone and their grandmother knows about "Jerry Maguire," as reflected in the film's gargantuan box office, the film has never received a sequel. It's not hard to see why since it's an intimate dramedy — not the kind of motion picture that spawns a slew of spinoffs. Plus, writer/director Cameron Crowe got extremely busy after the glorious success of "Jerry Maguire," and Tom Cruise was even busier in the late 1990s. But believe it or not, Crowe actually had an idea for a follow-up, despite not being the kind of guy who's ever done a sequel in his long and storied career.

Talking to Collider, Crowe noted that whenever he thought about doing more adventures in the world of "Jerry Maguire," it wouldn't focus on Cruise's protagonist. Instead, he "always thought it should be about the Tidwells [Cuba Gooding Jr. and Regina King]. I always thought it should be Marcy and Rod." Crowe even noted that he was often contacted about the idea of doing a TV show follow-up to "Jerry Maguire," only for him to suggest that the Tidwell's should be the focus and then have nobody follow up with him on the concept. Given how Crowe has largely focused on original films in his career, nobody should expect "Jerry Maguire 2" anytime soon, though at least this filmmaker knows exactly where he would've taken such a production.

"Minority Report" wasn't the biggest Tom Cruise movie ever when it opened in theaters in 2002. However, it still grossed over $350 million worldwide on a $102 million budget, rendering it a profitable enterprise. Combine that with the positive reviews it garnered, and it would have made sense if all involved opted to go make a sequel. However, rather than dive into a prospective "Minority Report 2," Cruise and director Steven Spielberg put their time and energy into another summer blockbuster. "War of the Worlds" would arrive three years after "Minority Report," serving as a reunion between the two popular artists.

While it could've been possible for a "Minority Report 2" to emerge after "War of the Worlds," Cruise and Spielberg proceeded to focus on a wide assortment of other, separate projects. With each passing year, the relevancy of "Minority Report" got more and more miniscule, and the chances of ever seeing a sequel were similarly small. While audiences would eventually get to return to the world of "Minority Report," it would be in the form of a 2014 TV show airing on Fox. This program would only last a season, providing a short return to this familiar universe for fans of the original property. Aside from this program, no momentum has occurred or appears to be on the horizon for a traditional big-screen "Minority Report" follow-up.

At the end of "Knight and Day," Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) and June Havens (Cameron Diaz), after having to deal with so much deception and danger, finally get to relax. The duo, once strained and unable to stand each other, are shown getting away from the clutches of the CIA and riding away to paradise in Cape Horn. Though they're off to a tropical vacation, the fact that they're both alive — not to mention the bubbly episodic nature of "Knight and Day" itself — would seem to suggest there's a high possibility that this movie could spawn multiple sequels. Now that Miller and Havens have learned to live with each other, perhaps they can save the world again.

Unfortunately, unlike other Cruise action vehicles like "Mission: Impossible," "Knight and Day" would never get a sequel, and it's no surprise why. The movie came up short at the box office, grossing just $258.7 million on a $117 million budget. Failing to be a profitable enterprise and making considerably less than other Cruise action vehicles, it's difficult to imagine 20th Century Fox ever being interested in a sequel. Even if its ending suggested at least the tiniest possibility of there being more adventures on the horizon, "Knight and Day" never came close to justifying a follow-up at the box office.

Until "Top Gun: Maverick" arrived, "War of the Worlds" was the biggest film ever for Cruise at the domestic box office. The massive worldwide haul of a blockbuster like "War of the Worlds" would normally mean that a sequel would be inevitable. However, the definitive ending of the original title, which saw the aliens wiped out by earthly bacteria, already made it difficult to imagine what a sequel could look like. Still, other blockbuster sequels have been made to movies with much more impenetrable endings.

What really ensured that a "War of the Worlds" sequel would never see the light of day, though, was the deteriorating relationship between the film's star and director, Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg. Vanity Fair would later report that Spielberg grew frustrated with all the antics Cruise engaged in while promoting "War of the Worlds" (like his infamous "Oprah Winfrey Show" appearance). While the pair had collaborated just three years earlier with "Minority Report," they would never work together after their alien invasion flick. Their lack of further joint projects has doubtlessly ensured the demise of countless prospective films, including a potential sequel to the highly lucrative "War of the Worlds."

There were a lot of big-name movie stars running around in 2008's "Tropic Thunder," but the performance that people couldn't stop talking about came from a mostly unrecognizable actor. Buried under lots and lots of makeup and prosthetics, Tom Cruise as foul-mouthed studio executive Les Grossman stole the show. Even better, the role provided a welcome reprieve from the actor largely choosing grim projects in the 2000s like "Lions for Lambs" or "The Last Samurai." Cruise was shedding those somber parts in favor of a character who was much goofier and more prone to dancing to Ludacris tunes.

Grossman proved to be such an enjoyable scene-stealer that a spinoff of "Tropic Thunder" was commissioned that would focus exclusively on this character. By 2012, screenwriter Michael Bacall told The Hollywood Reporter that he was working on the script for the project at that time. The plan was for this feature to not only have Cruise reprise the Grossman role but also delve into the origins of this character and his temper. No further news ever came out about this spinoff, and it's not clear why it never came to fruition. Part of it may have just been Cruise's busy schedule, but it also could have had something to do with how long it had been since the first "Tropic Thunder" came out. Even a scene-stealer like Grossman can't linger on the minds of moviegoers forever.