We Need A Sequel To The Best Tom Cruise Movie In Years
Edge Of Tomorrow, or Live Die Repeat, is widely regarded as one of Tom Cruise’s greatest films outside of the Mission Impossible franchise, and features an inimitable blend of fascinating sci-fi, incredible effects, and high-octane action set pieces. Despite the massive success of the 2014 film, and the time-loop genre writ large, there have been no public reports of a sequel going into active production.
In an industry that is mired by excessive over-importance on franchising and turning every major hit into a cinematic universe, it seems shocking that a sequel hasn’t been concocted for Edge Of Tomorrow.
Tom Cruise And Emily Blunt Lead Edge Of Tomorrow
Edge Of Tomorrow was written by The Usual Suspects and Top Gun: Maverick scribe Christopher McQuarrie and directed by The Bourne Identity and Chaos Walking filmmaker Doug Liman. The film stars Tom Cruise alongside a cast of all-stars such as Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Jonas Armstrong, Tony Way, and The Banshees of Inisherin‘s Brendan Gleeson. The film’s story is adapted from Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s 2004 novel All You Need Is Kill.
The Sci-Fi Time Loop
Edge Of Tomorrow centers on a time-loop narrative, sometimes referred to as a Groundhog Day-type movie, in which the lead character experiences the same day over and over again, offering a distinct advantage to decision-making through predictability.
In this film, Tom Cruise stars as William Cage, an army Major with the global military alliance tasked with battling hordes of aliens called Mimics who have infested and overrun all of Europe. Though Cage shows leadership skills, he has spent little to no time in active combat, making him a sitting duck for the coming battlefield onslaught.
The Groundhogs Day Trope Pays Off
Luckily for Cage, his first death at the hands of a Mimic results in him immediately waking up and reliving the same day from scratch. After a brief adjustment period, Cage takes to the battlefield and gains a better sense of combat with each attempt.
Though many time-loop films have been poorly received as low-rent Groundhog Day ripoffs, Edge Of Tomorrow reinvigorated the genre with a fresh new take on the structural device, resulting in a film that resembles the structure of a video game, where players continue to die and respawn, hopefully getting better at each level with each subsequent play through.
A Hit At The Box Office, The Tom Cruise Movie Was Also Highly Rated
Edge Of Tomorrow received exceptional reviews from critics, resulting in a 91 percent certified fresh critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film made $370.5 million at the worldwide box office on an estimated production budget of $178 million, ranking it a box office hit. Since 2015, there have been rumblings of a sequel, though talent scheduling and other external factors have left the IP in development hell.
A Sequel Script Exists
Apparently, there is a sequel script floating around Hollywood for Edge Of Tomorrow, though COVID-19 shutdowns have made it too expensive to film, and Tom Cruise’s busy schedule with the Mission Impossible franchise has made it nearly impossible to make.
Cruise is currently working with both Christopher McQuarrie and Doug Liman on an untitled SpaceX project per IMDb, prompting many fans to speculate an Edge Of Tomorrow sequel may soon be underway. For now, no news of a sequel has been officially confirmed, though the ending of the first film does feel like the perfect setup for a continuation of the franchise.
