While Tom Crusie is busy trying to complete “Mission: Impossible 8” at Paramount Pictures with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie (“Jack Reacher”) and is reuniting with director Doug Liman (“Edge of Tomorrow”) for a space film at Universal Pictures that will see the iconic action star shoot scenes at the International Space Station, he’s aiming to make a big return to Warner Bros. as well.

Cruise has struck a deal with movie studio chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy to develop, produce, and star in new films for Warner Bros. as revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, and it won’t be a traditional first-look deal. This comes after Cruise had a billion-dollar success with the long-gestating sequel “Top Gun: Maverick” and a less-than-stellar box office return on “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1” making it one of the bigger disappointments of 2023.

The actor hasn’t made a film with Warners in a decade and should help nudge the studio to make a big commitment to the theatrical release given the actor isn’t terribly keen on streaming while championing theatrical windows as well.

Some of the previous films Cruise has made at WB include “The Last Samurai,” Stanley Kurbick’s final film “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Magnolia,” and “Edge of Tomorrow.” There had been plans to move forward with a sequel to “Edge of Tomorrow” for years, and the new deal might help push things towards production as Liman has been attached to direct for years but scheduling has seemingly been the main issue there with Cruise laser-focused on Paramount projects. Cruise’s new deal would make it a lot easier to get “Edge of Tomorrow 2” made.

One of the other films Cruise is hoping to make is a Les Grossman spinoff, reprising his crass studio executive character from Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder” at Paramount/DreamWorks.

Fans have automatically assumed that Cruise could end up playing Hal Jordan in a “Green Lantern” movie at DC Studios, but nothing in the report has suggested this is even on the table. However, that potentially could happen if all the stars align and James Gunn/Peter Safran made an impressive pitch to the star.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER