Earlier this summer marked the 10 year anniversary of Edge Of Tomorrow – the Tom Cruise time-loop alien-invasion blockbuster that, fittingly, keeps finding new life. Doug Liman’s film – in which Cruise’s Major William Cage finds himself reliving an alien attack until he can finally beat the extraterrestrial foe – underwhelmed at the box office on initial release in 2014; in the decade since, it’s become hailed as one of Cruise’s greatest films, and has become a major audience favourite. But for all its popularity, a long-mooted sequel has never got off the ground. As far back as 2016, Liman talked about a follow-up that would, he said, “revolutionise how people make sequels”. Fear not though, fans – the filmmaker says the time hasn’t yet passed to make the film a reality.
Speaking to Empire ahead of the release of his latest film The Instigators, Liman confirmed that the Edge Of Tomorrow sequel isn’t dead yet. “No, we keep talking about it,” he says – the other part of that ‘we’ being Cruise himself. “We love that world.” If it does come about, it wouldn’t be the first time a sci-fi sequel has survived a protracted gestation period. “I don’t know how long Cameron took with his Terminators,” Liman notes, “but at the time it felt like a long time.”
In fact, the filmmaker and star recently revisited the first film together. “Tom and I just actually rewatched it about two months ago, because I hadn’t seen it in 10 years,” says Liman. “I was like, ‘Wow, that is a really good movie.’” Whether or not the follow-up eventually happens, Liman is pleased that Edge Of Tomorrow has found its own longevity. “I haven’t necessarily always had the good fortune of having movies that have huge opening weekends,” he admits. “Bourne Identity lost to Scooby-Doo [on] its opening weekend. And Swingers came and went from the theatres. What I’ve come to understand is, I’m making movies for the long term. I’m an ego-driven guy, I’d like to get accolades now. But I also recognise that, if I was given the choice, I’ll choose making films that people 50 years from now are still watching.” And, in the case of Edge Of Tomorrow, watching on (live, die) repeat.