With over 40 years of work in the film industry, veteran actor Tom Cruise signed a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to jointly develop and produce theatrical films starting this year.
In the new collaborative partnership, Cruise will make and star in both franchise and original films for the Hollywood studio that gave him his breakout role in 1981’s “Risky Business,” the company said in a press release on Tuesday.
As part of the deal, he and his production company will have offices on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, Calif.
While it remains to be seen what Cruise and Warner Bros. will announce as their next projects, it’s entirely possible that one movie will finally get to see the light of day: “Edge of Tomorrow 2.”
The sequel to “Edge of Tomorrow,” the 2014 sci-fi action film starring Cruise and Emily Blunt, has been in limbo since 2016 when director Doug Liman first signed onto the project.
No major progress has been made in the past eight years, partly because Cruise has had busy production schedules on other movies.
It’s rumored he will reprise his role, but no official announcement has been made yet.
Notably, “Edge of Tomorrow” was the last film Cruise and Warner Bros. collaborated on, which makes it all the more likely for the sequel to come to fruition after nearly a decade of development.
The rest of Cruise’s filmography with Warner Bros. includes “Rock of Ages,” “The Last Samurai,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Interview with the Vampire,” “Risky Business,” “The Outsiders,” and New Line Cinema’s “Magnolia.”
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In his new studio position, Cruise could also greenlight an original action franchise and a musical as those are two potential ideas he would like to focus on in the future, Deadline reported in 2022. His strategic partnership with Warner Bros. would be the perfect opportunity for that.
Additionally, Cruise has also reportedly expressed interest in a “Tropic Thunder” spinoff focusing on his comedic character Les Grossman. It’s unlikely Warner Bros. will get to back that project with the actor though, considering Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks distributed the 2008 war comedy.
Lastly, Cruise could easily pitch a sequel (or prequel) to any number of past films he has already made with Warner Bros, which seems like a path of least resistance.
However, there will be plenty of projects for the two creative partners to tackle together.
“We are thrilled to be working with Tom, an absolute legend in the film industry,” Warner Bros. film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy said in a joint statement.
“Our vision, from day one, has been to rebuild this iconic studio to the heights of its glory days, and, in fact, when we first sat down with [CEO] David Zaslav to talk about joining the Warner Bros. Discovery team, he said to us, ‘We are on a mission to bring Warner Bros. back – we have the best resources, storytelling IP, and talent in the business – and we need to bring Tom Cruise back to Warner Bros!’”
“Today, that becomes a reality and we are one step closer to achieving our ambition,” the pair added. “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Tom back to Warner Bros. and look forward to bringing more of his genius to life on screen in the years ahead.”
“I have great respect and admiration for David, Pam, Mike, and the entire team at Warner Bros. Discovery and their commitment to movies, movie fans, and the theatrical experience,” Cruise said. “I look forward to making great movies together!”
The 61-year-old action star is currently working with Paramount on the eighth installment in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, as well as making an untitled action movie that will be filmed in space and backed by Universal Pictures.
Cruise last appeared in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” and “Top Gun: Maverick.”
