Tom Cruise to make Les Grossman film

[the Talking Can]

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/...-les-grossman/

Tom Cruise to make Les Grossman film
by Nicole Sperling


Paramount and MTV Films confirmed today that they are developing a movie based on Tom Cruise’s raunchy producer role from the 2008 film Tropic Thunder. Cruise will star in and produce the movie, along with Tropic co-star and director Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld of Red Hour Films. Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) will write the screenplay.

The announcement comes only days after Cruise reprised the memorable role at Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards. As Les Grossman, Cruise spewed the character’s signature expletive-fueled commands and even danced with Jennifer Lopez. Paramount issued a tongue-in-cheek release today saying they have “secured the life rights to Grossman,” who is described as having “recently mentored talents such as Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.”

Stiller released this statement today: “Les Grossman’s life story is an inspiring tale of the human class 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.” Added Adam Goodman, Paramount Film Group President, “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.”

The Paramount press release also included a “statement” from Grossman after he was asked what the screenplay would be about: “To quote my great friend Kirk Lazarus, `I don’t read the script, the script reads me.”’ Lazarus was a character in Tropic that was played by Robert Downey Jr.