Tom Cruise Is Back at Warner Bros. for ‘Original and Franchise Theatrical Films’

Brian Welk
·3 min read
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Tom Cruise has taken a flying leap, though this time not on a motorcycle and off of a cliff. No, Cruise is headed to Burbank as part of a new strategic partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery; he’ll develop, produce, and star in “original and franchise theatrical films” there — and also fly some aircraft in and out of Bob Hope Airport.

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy — and Cruise — announced the partnership on Tuesday. Cruise and his production company will even get offices on the Warner Bros Discovery lot.

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Cruise’s deal with Warner Bros. — a return, of sorts — does not make him exclusive to the studio. There are currently no projects in development and it is not a traditional first-look deal; think of this as more of a formal commitment to collaborate with De Luca and Abdy on future blockbusters. Cruise also doesn’t have a production deal with Paramount Pictures, where he’s recently continued the “Mission: Impossible” series and returned the “Top Gun” franchise with “Top Gun: Maverick.”

There’s a solid history with Cruise at Warner Bros.; there, he made “Rock of Ages,” “The Last Samurai,” “Magnolia,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Interview with the Vampire,” “Risky Business,” “The Outsiders,” and most recently “Edge of Tomorrow” (2014). It’s been a decade since he’s worked there.

“We are thrilled to be working with Tom, an absolute legend in the film industry,” De Luca and 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 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 duo continued. “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!”

There has been friction between Cruise and Paramount over the years. THR reported in 2022 on Cruise’s fight to give “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” a longer theatrical window before it hit streaming. And a report from last year said Cruise was frustrated over “Oppenheimer” booting “Mission: Impossible” off of IMAX screens.

Cruise, now 61, is not slowing down, and has said he wants to make “Mission: Impossible” movies until he’s 80.

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