After Tom Cruise wraps his latest “Mission: Impossible” sequel, he’ll pack on pounds for his next role, sources say. Cruise has been cast in “Mena,” the story of a porky pilot who trafficked drugs and guns for the Medellin Cartel and CIA in the 1980s.
But the real guy was nearly 300 pounds, and we hear that chiseled Cruise will gain significant weight for the role.
No word on whether he’ll hit the chubby proportions of his hilarious Les Grossman character in Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder,” for which he wore a fat suit.
“Mena” is being directed by Doug Liman and produced by Imagine’s Brian Grazer and Doug Davison.
We hear Liman, who took over as director from Ron Howard, is headed to London, where Cruise has been filming “Mission: Impossible 5,” to meet with the star. Gary Spinelli wrote the screenplay for “Mena,” which Universal bought for $1 million in a reported bidding war last year.
“Mission: Impossible 5” recently brought its planned release forward, shifting from a December 2015 date to this coming July.