Tom Cruise’s refusal to reprise his role stalled an Interview with the Vampire sequel.
His stance then contrasts with his sequel-heavy career now.
The 1994 film Interview with the Vampire, based on Anne Rice’s novel, was a box-office hit. Director Neil Jordan reveals that a sequel was in the works, with him writing a script for “The Vampire Lestat.” However, Tom Cruise, who played Lestat, didn’t want to reprise the role due to his reluctance to do sequels, effectively killing the project.
In the 1990s, Cruise had no sequels to his films despite starring in successful ones. His first sequel came in 2000 with Mission: Impossible 2. Now, his career is dominated by sequels like the Mission: Impossible series, Top Gun: Maverick, and there are calls for more.
While it would’ve been exciting to see Cruise return as Lestat in a sequel, the franchise returned as a TV show with an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score. Cruise’s change of mind about sequels has led to many successful follow-ups, and his power in Hollywood, then and now, is evident from this story.
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