Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav and the Motion Picture Group’s co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy have hammered out a new strategic partnership deal with Tom Cruise that takes effect this year.
The $13 billion-grossing star and producer will develop and produce original and franchise theatrical titles which he’ll star in. Cruise and his production company will have an office on the Burbank, CA lot. The last time Cruise starred in a Warner Bros movie was the 2014 sci-fi action title Edge of Tomorrow ($370.5 million global gross), one of eight titles he made with the studio including Rock of Ages, The Last Samurai, Magnolia, Eyes Wide Shut, Interview with the Vampire, Risky Business and The Outsiders.
Note, this isn’t an exclusive deal, as Cruise will continue to work with Paramount, where he’s shooting Mission: Impossible 8, and Universal, where he’s making the $200M shot-in-space movie directed by Doug Liman. Overall, Cruise doesn’t have exclusive deals at any studio. No projects at this point in time are in the works or greenlit, as it’s still early.
“We are thrilled to be working with Tom, an absolute legend in the film industry,” De Luca and Abdy said Tuesday. “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. 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.”
Said Cruise: “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. I look forward to making great movies together!”
The three-time Oscar-nominated Cruise saw the biggest-grossing film of his career with 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, which made $1.49 billion worldwide and was nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture. Last year, his Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning made $567.5M worldwide, the sixth highest-grossing movie of his career.