CRUISE INNARITU

Source: Michael Yada/Aaron Poole/AMPAS

Tom Cruise, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

In a tantalising combination, Warner Bros and Legendary Entertainment are reportedly negotiating for an Alejandro G. Iñárritu project to star Tom Cruise. 

The untitled project would mark the first under Cruise’s non-exclusive pact with Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) announced last month, and would be Mexican filmmaker Iñárritu’s first return to English-language filmmaking since Oscar-nominated The Revenant nearly a decade ago.

No details plot details are available on the feature, which Iñárritu co-wrote with Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris and Nicolas Giacobone.

The latter two co-wrote 2015 best picture Oscar winner Birdman with Iñárritu, and Giacobone co-wrote 2022 comedy drama Bardo and 2010 drama Biutiful alongside Iñárritu; with Armando Bo also co-writing the latter.

This is a major coup for Warner Bros, whose top film executives Mike DeLuca and Pam Abdy and WBD CEO David Zaslav envisioned major theatrical events when they signed the strategic pact with Cruise.

They can rest assured they have not only one of the greatest box office stars of all time and a famously tireless champion of cinema-going on their team, but one of the world’s boldest directors in the form of two-time best directing Oscar winner Iñárritu (Birdman in 2015 and The Revenant in 2016).

Cruise’s films have earned more than $13bn at the global box office. While Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One slightly disappointed by his standards on $567m worldwide at last year’s box office, 2022 smash Top Gun: Maverick earned $1.5bn.

What will also bring cheer to exhibitors is Iñárritu’s record. The Revenant at Fox/Regency starring Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio earned $532m worldwide.

Iñárritu’s most recent film, the Spanish-language 2022 comedy drama Bardo, was produced by Netflix and went on only limited release around the world.

Deadline Hollywood broke the story.