Whether you knew it as Live Die Repeat or simply Edge of Tomorrow, Doug Liman’s bombastic 2014 actioner proved to be one of the sleeper hits of last year, combining elements of time-travel, sci-fi and warfare for a true blockbuster experience. Playing against type as rookie soldier Bill Cage, Tom Cruise was forced to get smart or die trying as he was tossed out onto the battlefield in a suicide mission against an endless wave of mutant aliens. It was an intelligent story that wrapped up relatively neatly, though Cruise recently hinted that there may be room for a sequel.
Upon doing the press rounds for his current tentpole, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, the genre veteran revealed that he has held conversations with Liman and writer-director Christopher McQuarrie about an Edge of Tomorrow 2, though Cruise didn’t reveal much more beyond those facts.
“I pitched it to McQuarrie and Doug. We were there one night and I was like, I’ve got an idea for it.”
As a matter of fact, the actor has also approached former co-star Emily Blunt with his nascent pitch, to which she replied “give me another year, please.” Even if Cruise is planting the seeds for a potential follow-up, it looks unlikely to get off the ground for at least another year.
Based on the popular Japanese manga All You Need Is Kill – which, incidentally, is also getting a sequel – Edge of Tomorrow imagines a future world where the remaining pockets of humanity are teetering on the edge of extinction. Infused with Alpha blood, Cruise’s protagonist is inadvertently given the ability to travel back in time, offering his newbie soldier a second, third and tenth chance at toppling the alien threat.
There’s no question that it’s a rich world, with enough potential stories to warrant a sequel. Then again, with such a neat ending included in Edge of Tomorrow, we hope that its sequel – if it comes to fruition – makes course for a new direction.