Tag: Tom Cruise

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‘Mission: Impossible 8’ Enlists ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Breakout Actress Katy O’Brian For Next Installment

The adrenaline-fueled “Mission: Impossible 8” is currently filming, and Paramount‘s spy actioner has added a new actor to the cast. Katy O’Brian, the breakout actress from A24’s lesbian thriller “Love Lies Bleeding,” has nabbed a part in the Tom Cruise-led franchise from writer/director Christopher McQuarrie. This casting update comes to us from Deadline as the up-and-comer has been amassing various genre/franchise parts, including playing a minor villain in “The Mandalorian” series, Marvel’s “Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania,” and Amblin’s “Twister” reboot, “Twisters.”

McQuarrie is known for selecting badass actors for his recent string of sequels focusing on Ethan Hunt’s IMF teams as the latest installment focused on a new artificial intelligence threat called The Entity. There is an expectation that the eighth untitled installment (formerly known as “Dead Reckoning – Part Two”) will see Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Hayley Atwell, Shea Whigham, and Pom Klementieff reprising their roles.

O’Brian joins fellow new additions such as Holt McCallany (“Wrath of Man”), Nick Offerman (“Civil War”), Janet McTeer (“Ozark”), and Hannah Waddingham (“The Fall Guy”).

Paramount has given “Mission: Impossible” a prime release date of May 23, 2025, after multiple rounds of delays stemming from scheduling shifts, and the first film being shot during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and extending the production length. While the studio and creatives really haven’t talked about the future of the franchise, there is a shot that this could be the final outing for Ethan Hunt as Cruise is looking to expand his relationship with Warner Bros. (a long-gestating sequel to Doug Liman’s “Edge of Tomorrow” assumed to be part of those plans) and is expected to shoot “Top Gun 3” in the near future.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News, News

Oscar-Winning Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu & Tom Cruise Teaming Up For New Mystery Film That May Land At Legendary/WB

After reports that action star Tom Cruise is looking to book roles with more acting-focused projects and working with auteur filmmakers, a new report from Deadline seems to have revealed what one of those first movies could end up being. Legendary and Warner Bros. are said to be in negotiations to acquire the newest English-language film from Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu (“The Revenant”) with Crusie attached to star.

This news comes after Cruise signed a deal with Warners and is expected to include the long-delayed sequel to “Edge of Tomorrow” from director Doug Liman. Cruise and Liman are also partnering on a sci-fi film at Universal that is going to film sequences in space at the International Space Station. Other projects on Cruise’s plate are finishing up the titleless “Mission: Impossible 8” and Paramount is already developing “Top Gun 3” that will see director Joseph Kosinski return for the follow-up to the billion-dollar hit, “Top Gun: Maverick.” There have been indications that Quentin Tarantino‘s “The Movie Critic” might have a role for the actor as well.

Iñárritu has won four Academy awards for his previous English films “Birdman” (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay) and “The Revenant” (Nabbed a second Best Director statue). Plot details about this new film are unknown but the director co-wrote the script from 2023 with Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris, and Nicolas Giacobone. “The Revenant” was a bit of a financial hit as the period survival thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio ended up making a hefty $500 million at the global box office and with a star like Cruise attached they could end up replicating that success.

It wouldn’t be the first time Oscar-caliber directors have worked with Cruise as some of his acclaimed credits include Martin Scorsese‘s “Color of Money,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Outsiders,” Paul Thomas Anderson‘s “Magnolia,” and the late iconic Stanley Kubrick on the thriller “Eyes Wide Shut.”

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News, News

‘The Movie Critic’: Tom Cruise Could End Up Appearing In Quentin Tarantino’s Final Film Starring Brad Pitt

If you weren’t aware Quentin Tarantino (“Pulp Fiction”) is looking to hang up his feature film director spurs once he completes his tenth and final film, “The Movie Critic.” The pic is set in 1970s Los Angeles and is said to focus on a cynical movie critic that writes for an unnamed “porno rag” (This could easily be a publication owned by mobsters who had a financial interest in the porn industry) that takes inspiration from Travis Bickle, the lead character from the film “Taxi Driver” alongside potential elements from the revenge thriller “Rolling Thunder.” Telegraphing a violent angle to the film, which tends to be Tarantino’s calling card with his projects. We previously learned that Brad Pitt will be taking the lead role in the film, assumed to be the aforementioned movie critic. There is an equally exciting name that could show up in the film as well.

Not too long ago journalist Jeff Sneider had suggested that Tom Cruise could be potentially vying for a small role in the final Tarantino film. And now, Variety is backing up that claim as well in a new report outlining Cruise’s new attempts to get back to acting-focused projects not just action blockbusters like his popular “Mission: Impossible” movies. Stating the actor has “had discussions” about joining the upcoming production. Again, the size and character angle for the potential role haven’t been revealed in any great detail.

Eyes Wide Shut: Hidden in Plain Sight - An In-Depth Analysis of Stanley Kubrick's Misunderstood Masterpiece (Essay) — Boy Drinks Ink

This wouldn’t be all that surprising given that Tarantino sang high praises to “Top Gun: Maverick” when he saw it and seemingly, on paper, the two cinephiles could be a great pairing. Of course, Crusie isn’t a stranger to working with famed Oscar-caliber directors like Tarantino. Some of his previous directors include Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Thomas Anderson, and the late iconic Stanley Kubrick on the thriller “Eyes Wide Shut.”

Pitt and Tarantino had worked together before on “Inglorious Basterds” and “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” with the latter earning him a Best Supporting Actor statue at the Oscars. Cruise and Pitt co-starred in the vampire drama “Interview With A Vampire” based on the Anne Rice novel of the same name. More big names are expected to be mentioned for parts in the film and we’ll have to wait until we learn if Cruise ultimately takes a part or not. I also think it’s safe to say longtime muse that Samuel L. Jackson will have a part waiting for him as well.

SOURCE: VARIETY & JEFF SNEIDER

Posted on in Film News, News

Rebecca Ferguson Explains Her Exit From ‘Mission: Impossible’ Franchise & Downplays Miraculous Return For Ilsa Faust

The “Mission: Impossible” franchise is in a very odd place at the moment after “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” didn’t do as well as expected compared to “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and took a bit of a nosedive in regards to the film’s global box office earnings. It made about $222.3 million less than the last movie leading Paramount to ditch the “Dead Reckoning Part 2” title for the 8th installment they have nixed that entirely for a new/unknown title to be revealed at a later date. Production is still underway on “Mission: Impossible 8” and one franchise alum has indicated they won’t be magically coming back anytime soon.

Rebecca Ferguson, who has played the rogue British spy Ilsa Faust for three installments for writer/director Christopher McQuarrie starting with “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” is now doing the promotional tour for “Dune: Part Two” and might have explained the reasoning behind Faust’s death in “Dead Reckoning.” The actress dished to Entertainment Tonight (See video below) that her three-picture deal with the studio had expired and decided it was her time to leave to focus on other projects.

“Do you remember when we talked about those three-picture deals in Hollywood? So, sometimes they end and actors have the possibility to saying ‘yes or no.’ We were at that point and ‘Mission’ is such a huge dedication. I’ve done it and it’s fantastic. [McQurrie] and Tom wrote this fantastic character but there is only so much you can do with a character, I find. You know, I’m entitled to my own opinion in this. I want her to go rogue I’m interested in the dark side I don’t want a ‘team member’ it’s not interesting for me and I felt that was where we were heading. It takes a lot of time to make ‘Mission’ it is blood, sweat, and tears doing those films. And by now I’ve done a TV show and two movies, they’re still on [‘Mission: Impossible 8’].”

When asked if she is totally out, “That’s it, you never know.”

Faust had been a character many fans and journalists had assumed could have taken over the franchise, had star/producer Tom Cruise decided to end his tenure of Ethan Hunt given that the aging action star has been mulling over plans elsewhere including a new development deal at Warner Bros. that could lead to new franchise ventures. That said, Ferguson isn’t struggling for work with the Apple TV+ series “Silo,” could be returning to Arrakis for Denis Villeneuve‘s “Dune Messiah,” and previously lined up the lead role in the fantasy revenge flick “Best Served Cold” from director Tim Miller (“Deadpool”).

“Dune: Part Two” will debut in theaters on March 1 and is expected to open with a much larger fanfare than the original one.

SOURCE: ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Top Gun 3’ In The Works At Paramount With Director Joseph Kosinski Reportedly Returning

In the wake of the news that Tom Cruise had secured a new non-exclusive deal with Warner Bros. to help develop, produce, and star in new films at the studios, it looks like more work might be done at Paramount Pictures. Puck News first reported that Paramount has hired “Top Gun: Maverick” co-writer Ehren Kruger to write “Top Gun 3” with The Hollywood Reporter adding that director Joseph Kosinski is also expected to be returning to direct the third installment in the franchise focused on Navy combat pilots.

The 2022 sequel took decades to come together and became the first billion-dollar hit for Tom Cruise by earning an impressive $1.5 billion at the global box office. Apparently, the aim here is to reunite Cruise with actors Miles Teller (Rooster) and Glen Powell (Hangman) in a new sequel.

In the most recent film, Maverick (Tom Cruise) who is now a test pilot is reluctantly forced by U.S. military brass to train a group of highly skilled pilots at the Top Gun school for an upcoming suicide mission in a fabricated country. Instead of letting the team fail, he insists on joining them despite being extremely long-in-the-tooth and about to be shown the door by the Navy after decades of disobedience.

Cruise is currently working alongside Christopher McQuarrie (Who contributed to the “Maverick” script) to finish up “Mission: Impossible 8.” That spy flick could be the action star’s final outing with that franchise for the foreseeable future. He’s also been putting together a reunion with Doug Liman (“Edge of Tomorrow”) for a space project at Universal Pictures that is expected to film sequences at the International Space Station, which is expected to be the next feature film he shoots once “MI8” is completed. We’re still awaiting official word on the status of “Edge of Tomorrow 2,” which has been in various development stages going back at least four years with Liman attached to direct, but there had been multiple scheduling conflicts due to Cruise’s commitments at Paramount.

We’ll see how long this development process will take since Cruise has a busy schedule that has now been increased by this new Warner Bros. deal that will add on projects that likely haven’t even been announced.

SOURCE: PUCK NEWS & THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News, News

Tom Cruise Strikes New Deal To Develop, Produce & Star In Future Warner Bros. Movies

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

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Pacific Rim’: Guillermo del Toro Reveals He Originally Wanted Tom Cruise For Idris Elba’s Part In The Kaiju Action Pic

Once upon a time, there was a time when Guillermo del Toro and mega-star Tom Cruise almost worked together on a massive R-rated feature film version of “At The Mountains of Madness.” The film obviously didn’t come together because of creative differences between del Toro and Universal, along with the insane demands from the studio to get the budget to where it needed to be. Mainly, attempting a PG-13 version which likely would have deflated the vision del Toro for his take on the H.P. Lovecraft sci-fi horror tale.

Well, while speaking with Collider, the filmmaker revealed another sci-fi project they almost worked on together and it was his big mainstream attempt at a robots versus kaiju film, “Pacific Rim.” Instead of Cruise being wanted for the main role in the film they had actually wanted him to play Idris Elba’s mentor and commanding officer character, Marshal Stacker Pentecost. Of course, when they decided to pursue Elba after Cruise wasn’t an option they ended up rewriting the part.

Stacker Pentecost Suite | Pacific Rim (Original Soundtrack) - YouTube

“Oh yeah. The two models for ‘Pacific Rim,’ the two models for the screenplay, are ‘Hoosiers’ with Gene Hackman and Top Gun. So, the part that Idris Elba plays, Tom Cruise was gonna do it, and I even had a karaoke. The deal couldn’t be made. He wanted to do it. We were developing stuff, and he couldn’t do it. I thought, ‘You know what? Let’s go with Idris Elba then. He’s a god.’ Obviously, I had to rewrite it for that, but I thought it was gonna be an interesting analog to do that. It would have been a lot of fun.”

Of course, Tom Cruise did attempt to dabble in more action-centric sci-fi genre projects such as “Edge of Tomorrow” and “Oblivion” which came out the same year as “Pacific Rim” before mostly sticking to his “Mission: Impossible” films alongside the recent “Top Gun” sequel “Maverick.” Stacker would end up dying in the film only for a son we had no idea even existed, played by John Boyega, who became the main lead in the studio’s follow-up installment “Pacific Rim: Uprising.” It’s still pretty wacky that Universal and Warner Bros. wasted a potential team-up between Cruise and del Toro, another fuck-up of epic proportions by agencies/studio executives.

Hopefully, the two will eventually work together at some point.

PACIFIC RIM: Long ago, legions of monstrous creatures called Kaiju arose from the sea, bringing with them all-consuming war. To fight the Kaiju, mankind developed giant robots called Jaegers, designed to be piloted by two humans locked together in a neural bridge. However, even the Jaegers are not enough to defeat the Kaiju, and humanity is on the verge of defeat. Mankind’s last hope now lies with a washed-up ex-pilot (Charlie Hunnam), an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi), and an old, obsolete Jaeger.

SOURCE: COLLIDER

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Mission: Impossible 7’ Has Finally Wrapped After A Long & Exhausting Shoot

Christopher McQuarrie has taken to Instagram to announce that they’ve finally finished production on Mission: Impossible 7 starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt. This after almost a year and a half of filming with various pauses/hiccups due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mission: Impossible 7 is part one of a two part story with Mission: Impossible 8 expected to shoot a some point, but likely won’t get going anytime soon as it was reported that it will no-longer shoot back-to-back. Given the lengthy production on this film, we shouldn’t be surprised.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTrSQEas8-U/

The rest of the sequel’s cast includes Esai Morales, Rebecca Ferguson (Dune), Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger), Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Vanessa Kirby (Hobbs & Shaw), Pom Klementieff (Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.2), Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire), Henry Czerny (Mission: Impossible, Clear & Present Danger), Cary Elwes (Saw, Stranger Things), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones, Obi-Wan Kenobi), Rob Delaney (Deadpool 2), Charles Parnell (The Last Ship), and British character actor Mark Gatiss (Sherlock).

Filming took place in London, Rome, Abu Dhabi, and Norway.

Paramount Pictures recently bumped the film’s release date to September 30, 2022 after putting Top Gun: Maverick in it’s previous spot of May 27, 2022.

SOURCE: CHRISTOPHER MCQUARRIE

Posted on in Film News

Emily Blunt Says Budget & Scheduling Are Still Roadblocks To Getting ‘Edge of Tomorrow 2’ Made – Despite An “Amazing” Script

A Quiet Place Part II is finally going to be released and actress Emily Blunt is doing the press tour to promote the horror flick directed by her hubby John Krasinski. One project that has been long in development is the sequel to the sci-fi action film Edge of Tomorrow with Blunt, Tom Cruise, and director Doug Liman attached to return once everything aligns.

However, it doesn’t sound from Emily Blunt’s recent comments that Edge of Tomorrow 2 is anywhere closer to getting made. Emily reiterated to The Howard Stern Show that the film’s budget might be too expensive for Warner Bros. alongside scheduling issues could be the real hold-up, not their desire to do it.

BLUNT: “We wanted to [make it]. Honestly, I think the movie’s too expensive. Yeah, I don’t know how we’re going to do it. I think that it’s hard to align everyone’s schedules. I would love it. Doug Liman would love it. Tom would love it. We’d all love to do it, but I think until we figure out what’s going on with the industry – honestly, I think we need to figure out what is the next road map for the kinds of films that people want to make.”

Blunt also telling Entertainment Weekly that the script is “amazing” but isn’t sure if it’ll get made or not, which might suggest that the script isn’t an issue unless it’s adding an extra hurdle to the budget.

Tom Cruise is going to be busy for the foreseeable future with Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible 8 still set to shoot after production delays caused by scheduling issues and the pandemic. He’s also attached to the $200 million budgeted action film from director Doug Liman that was picked-up by Universal Pictures. Emily Blunt is demand as well making things even more of a headache.

Warner Bros. still hasn’t given Edge of Tomorrow 2 a release date and it’ll be a miracle if it’s ever made at all.

SOURCE: ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY & THE HOWARD STERN SHOW

Posted on in Film News

Paramount Delays ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ To November, ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ Until May 2022 & ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ Jumps To July 2023

Today, Paramount Pictures has announced a huge adjustment to their Tom Cruise films on their feature film schedule. As they’ve delayed the releases of Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible 7, and Mission: Impossible 8.

The new dates are below.

  • Top Gun: Maverick – November 19, 2021 
  • Mission: Impossible 7 – May 27, 2022 
  • Mission: Impossible 8 – July 7, 2023

Mission: Impossible 7 has completed production according to writer/director Christopher McQuarrie with the supporting cast includes Esai Morales, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Shea Whigham, and Henry Czerny.

Mission: Impossible 8 was originally going to shoot back-to-back with the seventh installment but the studio decided against it as it was going to conflict with the summer press tour for Top Gun: Maverick. However, with Maverick being pushed to November it’s unknown if that will motivate them to start filming sooner than expected.

TOP GUN: MAVERICK – After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”

SOURCE: PARAMOUNT