Is Tom Cruise About to Go Full Villain in Joseph Kosinski’s Miami Vice?

Miami Vice has been quietly simmering on the back burner, and now a spicy rumor just hit the pan: Tom Cruise might be the villain. File this under 'unverified but intriguing' for the moment, but it is the kind of swing that makes a lot of sense.

The rumor and why it tracks

Word from industry tipster DanielRPK is that Joseph Kosinski wants Cruise to play the heavy in his Miami Vice movie. Cruise rarely goes bad on screen, which is part of the appeal here. The last time he truly leaned into it was 2004, snarling his way through Collateral as a ruthlessly efficient hitman. Also worth noting: Cruise and Kosinski are already a synced-up duo after Oblivion (2013) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022). If this comes together, it would be a sharp left turn for Cruise and a savvy piece of casting for Kosinski.

Where this leaves the rest of the cast

If the villain play happens, Cruise would slot in alongside Austin Butler and Michael B. Jordan, who are positioned as Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs, respectively. Butler is coming off Caught Stealing, Masters of the Air, and Dune: Part Two. Jordan has an Oscar on the shelf and films like Sinners, Black Panther, and Creed on the resume. That trio would be a very modern power lineup for a very 80s property.

Timeline and the very specific calendar math

The plan is to shoot this summer in Miami. Cruise reportedly has runway until September, when the promotional push begins for Alejandro G. Inarritu's Digger. That window lines up neatly with a summer shoot, which is... convenient. Almost suspiciously so.

Who is making this thing

Kosinski is directing. Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler, Andor) is writing from an earlier draft by Eric Warren Singer (Top Gun: Maverick). Kosinski also co-wrote the latest draft of the Top Gun: Maverick sequel, which is gearing up to film next year. Translation: he is very busy, very plugged in, and very much in blockbuster mode.

What this version of Miami Vice actually is

This take digs into the sheen and rot of mid-80s Miami, pulling threads from the original pilot and first season of the NBC series. Expect the pastel gloss, the speedboats, and the stylish melancholy that helped set trends across fashion and filmmaking back in the day. The bones are classic Vice; the muscles will be new.

A quick refresher on the brand

The original series ran for 111 episodes from 1984 to 1989, launching Don Johnson as Sonny Crockett with Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs. Michael Mann rebooted it in 2006 with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx. That film stumbled with critics and the box office at the time, but it has aged into a cult favorite, with a moody, downbeat vibe that hits different now.

• Rumor: Tom Cruise eyed as the villain in Joseph Kosinski's Miami Vice
• If it sticks: he would join Austin Butler (Sonny Crockett) and Michael B. Jordan (Ricardo Tubbs)
• Shoot plan: summer in Miami; Cruise's schedule is clear until Digger promo starts in September
• Creative team: Director Joseph Kosinski; script by Dan Gilroy from an early Eric Warren Singer draft
• Franchise DNA: leans on the 80s-era pilot and first season, the style that shaped fashion and film
• Kosinski side note: co-wrote the new Top Gun: Maverick sequel, aiming to shoot next year

Bottom line: this is still a rumor, but a juicy one. Cruise turning heel against Butler and Jordan in a slick, sun-baked Vice world, through Kosinski and Gilroy? That has heat. If the pieces lock in, expect this to jump near the top of a lot of must-watch lists.