In 2021, Michael B. Jordan attended the London premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Tom Cruise was absolutely thrilled to see him, and Tom hugged MBJ like he was his long-lost son. Those 2021 photos have been going viral again this week as evidence that MBJ was always the Chosen One, and that the old-school movie stars have known that Jordan was the next big guy. Leonardo DiCaprio seemed to treat Jordan the same way. Anyway, keep that in mind when you hear this next casting rumor. For more than a year, another Miami Vice movie has been in development, with MBJ and Austin Butler attached to play Rico Tubbs and Sonny Crockett respectively. There were some murmurs of “do we really need this?” But now there’s a rumor that Tom Cruise might come in to play the villain, and the murmurs have taken a different turn. From World of Reel:

Woah, this could be a game changer for Joseph Kosinski’s ‘Miami Vice’ reboot, which stars Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler.

Here’s DanielRPK with an update: Tom Cruise is being eyed to play the villain in Kosinski’s reboot, which is being produced by Michael Mann — who directed Cruise in his last antagonistic role as the hitman in 2004’s ‘Collateral.’

Is there an actual offer? I sure hope so. I want Cruise to play a bad guy again. The reboot is supposed to shoot this summer in Miami, and Cruise’s schedule is wide open until he has to start doing promo for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s ‘Digger’ in September.

Cruise is currently in the post-Mission: Impossible phase of his career, which means he has a chance to go wild, be unpredictable with his roles, go against type, so to speak, and this would certainly fit that bill.

Jordan has been confirmed to play Ricardo Tubbs, while James ‘Sonny’ Crockett will be portrayed by Austin Butler. Dan Gilroy (‘Nightcrawler,’ ‘Andor’) wrote the latest draft of ‘Miami Vice,’ based on an earlier version by Eric Warren Singer (‘Top Gun: Maverick’).

According to Variety, the film ‘explores the glamour and corruption of mid-80s Miami’ and draws inspiration from the pilot and first season of the original TV series — the show that basically defined an era, from neon fashion to cinematic cool.

Cruise and Kosinski previously collaborated on ‘Oblivion’ and ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ two films that showcase their shared commitment to ambitious, visually immersive storytelling. Kosinski has also co-written the latest draft for ‘Top Gun 3,’ which may or may not go into production next year.

[From World of Reel]

When Tom was attempting a professional comeback in the mid ‘00s, he was more open to mixing it up and taking supporting roles and villain roles. Two decades later, he might be open to it again, especially given his age? Tom is 63 years old! It’s past time for Tom to take on character roles where the younger guys are doing the stunts. Plus, I would be willing to bet that Tom is extremely open to working with these two particular younger guys, Butler and Jordan, because he truly sees them as Hollywood’s future. Plus the Joseph Kosinski connection helps too. All in all, I could totally see this. Not only that, but I think it would really work on-screen.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.