Summary
On the surface, Tom Cruise and Jon Bon Jovi may not appear to have much in common, but they both share a uniqueWesterntrait in common. Without a doubt,the 1980s was the worst time for Westerns, thanks to the box-office failure ofHeaven’s Gate. This 1980 epic cost a staggering (for the time) $44 million to produce, and grossed less than a tenth of that back at the box office. In the aftermath, studios avoided Westerns like the plague, with Clint Eastwood’s genre comebackPale Riderbeing a rare exception.
It wasthe Brat Pack who saved Westerns withYoung Guns, which followed Emilio Estevez’s Billy the Kid and his pack of “Regulators.” The movie co-starred Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland, and its success predicted the short-lived Western revival of the 1990s. IfYoung Gunshadn’t succeeded and proved audiences would still turn up for the genre, there may not have been films likeDances with WolvesorTombstone. Estevez is planning a third outing dubbedYoung Guns 3: Alias Billy the Kid, which will reunite the surviving characters of the first two outings for a new adventure.
Both Tom Cruise & Bon Jovi Made Uncredited Cameos In The Young Guns Franchise
Cruise and Bon Jovi have the definition of “blink and you’ll miss ‘em” roles
TheYoung Gunsduology had a hell of a cast, with the likes of Viggo Mortensen, Alan Ruck and John Wayne’s son Patrick playing supporting roles. It’s a fairly common piece of trivia thatTom Cruise has a tiny cameo inYoung Guns,playing a gunman in the finale who is gunned down by Casey Siemaszko’s Charlie. Reportedly, Cruise was visiting his pal Estevez during filming, and having never taken part in a gunfight onscreen before, was given a chance to dress up and play cowboy for a day.
Emilio Estevez seemingly repaid Tom Cruise’sYoung Gunscameo by appearing in an uncredited role in 1996’sMission: Impossible.
This includes the iconic “Blaze of Glory,” and while working on the album,Bon Jovi made his acting debut inYoung Guns 2as a bandit trapped in a pitalongside Doc (Sutherland) and Chavez (Lou Diamond Phillips). Like Cruise before him, his role is wordless, and he’s quickly gunned down during the escape scene.
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During a July 2024 interview on theInside of Youpodcast, Lou Diamond Phillips revealed that despite a thirdYoung Gunshaving been written and prepped, the rights holders “put the kibosh on it” for the moment. Time will tell if the third adventure ever mounts up, but with renewed interest in the Brat Pack thanks to Andrew McCarthy’sBratsdocumentary, maybe it could finally move ahead. IfYoung Guns 3happens, it should keep the tradition of hiding a megastar in the backgroundof a random scene alive.
The films could keep things in the Brat Pack family, and give a hidden cameo to the likes of Rob Lowe or Demi Moore. Unfortunately, Kiefer Sutherland’s Doc was gunned down inYoung Guns 2,but perhaps he could appear next time as an extra gunned down by Estevez’s older Billy the Kid. If the filmmakers want to aim sky high with this cameo gag, somebody should give the Brat Pack adjacent Robert Downey Jr. a call.
Young Guns
Cast
A band of young gunslingers, led by the rebellious Billy the Kid, seeks retribution for the killing of their guardian. As they navigate the dangers of the Old West, their acts of vengeance draw the ire of both the law and their enemies.
