We recently learned that Tom Cruise is leaving Paramount Pictures in his rearview after signing an exclusive deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. The Hollywood Reporter has today shed additional light on that decision and mentions at least one of the projects the Mission: Impossible star could be lining up: Edge of Tomorrow 2!
According to the trade, Cruise has grown increasingly unhappy with the studio in recent years; for example, he went so far as to lawyer up in 2021 when they revealed plans to give Top Gun: Maverick a 45-day theatrical run. Pressure was also being put on the actor to give his seal of approval to Mission: Impossible or Days of Thunder TV shows for Paramount+ which, given his love of the theater, was always unlikely.
Cruise caused them some problems too, though, specifically with the latest Mission: Impossible movies, which, under his watch, have gone way over budget (Dead Reckoning - Part 1 is said to have lost as much as $25 million after underperforming last summer).
"Tensions have gotten higher between Tom and Paramount as relates to budget and collaboration," one insider reveals. "He doesn’t send script pages, doesn’t let them see dailies. He used to be very responsible on budgets. That changed on Dead Reckoning."
At Warner Bros., Cruise reportedly plans to launch another big franchise; possibly a thriller or action movie.
Back to Edge of Tomorrow, and Warner Bros. execs are eager for Cruise to move forward with a sequel to the 2014 movie. That's been in development for what feels like forever, and it could finally become a reality with the actor now part of the studio which released the first instalment.
Based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka's critically acclaimed 2004 novel All You Need Is Kill, Edge of Tomorrow arrived in 2014 to positive reviews and a solid $370 million haul at the worldwide box office on a $178 million budget.
Directed by Dough Liman, the movie starred Cruise and Emily Blunt as soldiers trapped in a time loop, with the former using that as an opportunity to better his skills and eventually defeat Earth's alien invaders. It was a fun premise that left sci-fi fans desperate for a sequel.
While plans for a follow-up have yet to be confirmed, it was way back in 2015 that we first heard about tentative plans to expand the franchise. Blunt has said on numerous occasions that she'd like to reprise the role and we'd bet on her being enlisted for this follow-up too.
Stay tuned for more Edge of Tomorrow updates as we have them.