Paramount Working on Les Grossman Film
I loved Tropic Thunder as much as the next guy and I really loved Tom Cruise’s appearance as Tropic Thunder’s Les Grossman on this past weekend’s MTV Movie Awards. Now it appears that Paramount is working with Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller to bring back Les Grossman to the silver screen.
HOLLYWOOD, CA (June 9, 2010) - Paramount Pictures and MTV Films announced today that they are set to develop a movie around mega-producer Les Grossman. The announcement comes on the heels of Grossman’s groundbreaking and visionary production of the soon-to-be Emmy® award-winning 2010 MTV Movie Awards Sunday night. Tom Cruise, along with Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld of Red Hour Films will produce and have secured the life rights to Grossman. Grossman, best known as a mega producer, has most recently mentored talents such as Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.
In 2008, Grossman was introduced to the masses by Stiller in the comedy “Tropic Thunder” where the famed producer had a cameo playing himself. Said Ben Stiller: “Les Grossman’s life story is an inspiring tale of the classic human struggle to achieve greatness against all odds. He has assured me he plans to quote, ‘F**king kill the sh*t out of this movie and make Citizen f**king Kane look like a piece of crap home movie by the time we are done.’ I am honored to be working with him.”
When asked what the screenplay was about Grossman responded: “To quote my great friend Kirk Lazarus, ‘I don’t read the script, the script reads me.’” Adam Goodman, Paramount Film Group President said, “Everything I learned in this business, I’ve learned from Les. I started out as his assistant, and from the first day he threw his desk at me when I got his lunch order wrong, I have loved him like a father. I am forever grateful to Ben and Stuart Cornfeld and their ability to secure his highly-coveted life rights,” Tom Cruise is said to be in talks to portray Grossman in the film. Michael Bacall (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”) will write the script.
Les Grossman
I love the references to Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr’s character), and that Grossman “had a cameo playing himself.” In fact, I dig all that faux show business stuff (including my love of Aldous Snow and Dewey Cox). And there’s nobody in the business that’s as good as this stuff as Ben Stiller, so his involvement as a producer is (as they say) paramount. One assumes Stiller will cameo and I’m guessing he’ll do so as both himself as well as in a heavily made-up character (call it a hunch).
But…
As much as I love this character, I’m not sure I’d love to see this character for an entire two hour movie. Also, there’s no mention of Bill Hader’s character Rob Slolom, who I’d view as essential for a sequel. So, what do you think? Do you want to see a Les Grossman movie?
The other elephant in the room is the fact that Paramount is trumpeting this project while continuing to either pooh-pooh or play coy with the highly anticipated Anchorman and Zoolander sequels. Is Paramount really saying they’re willing to make a Les Grossman movie but not Anchorman 2? Really?
I’m pretty much sold. Like Grossman, as long as no one “takes a dump in my eyes”, I see no problem.
Perhaps, Paramount is using this as a test as to whether or not to go with “Twolander/Zoo 2.” Ex: If Red Hour can pull off a Les Grossman film, the wheel’s will starting to turn for the return of be “really, really, ridiculously good looking”. If not, Grossman will “rain down in a Godly fucking firestorm upon you! I’m talking about a scorched earth, motherfucker! I will massacre you! I WILL FUCK YOU UP! ”
And speaking of Anchorman 2….http://www.mtv.com/videos/movies/526274/paul-rudd-says-that-if-they-cant-make-anchorman-2-theyll-make-anchorman-3.jhtml
This does not sound like it would be a good movie. The whole point of Tom Cruise’s character was the ridiculousness of it all, and most importantly, that Tom Cruise was playing him. He was the character to go to for one liners. He wouldn’t be able to carry a whole movie. The character himself isn’t really that interesting, it’s more about his dance moves than anything.
I think it should be like a hybrid, so its not just about Les Grossman. Hell lets have Zoolander vs Grossman
or Grossman is producing the networks new anchorman!
I think they should do the movie, but making a story could be hard so yes combining him and Zoolander would be good. Or create a rivalry similar to Vaughn, Stiller in Dodgeball and put him across someone well known like Vaughn or Black or Segel, somebody who would play a good mellow character opposed to Grossman who can be high strung.
It would be better to have a second “Tropic Thunder” or something similar and bring Grossman on again, but with more screen time. It’ll be interesting to see how the role can be filled for a full-length film.
Hey, Kev, are you with your hunch suggesting Les Grossman might have a fatsuit brother somewhere *winkwink*? What do you think his name is? Moore (or Maury) Grossman? Moore and Les Grossman, superproducers?
I’m all for Tom Cruise being funny.
Im totaly against this idea. The outrageousness of his fowl mouth was funny at times, but Ive gotten to a point where I fast forward through his scenes because he’s flat out annoying.
It would be a hilarious cameo for Les if he would appear in anchorman or Zoolander, but not his own film. If they tried, they’d have to tone it down majorlly to get an R rating, which would still be changing the entire character. Maybe he could do a movie with Albus snow or dewey Cox, any thing but his own film.
I want to see less of Les.
How about a 10 minute mockumentary about Grossman that is shown before Zoolander 2?
if they do this movie, they should include jeff portnoy!!!!!