ROTTEN TOMATOES: Tom Cruise Handed Reins to Reborn United Artists

Tom Cruise Handed Reins to Reborn United Artists

by Jen Yamato | November 02, 2006

After a very public break-up with Paramount back in August, Tom Cruise and producing partner Paula Wagner have rebounded, set to run the venerated movie studio founded by Hollywood greats Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffit h.

Cruise and Wagner will revive the new United Artists by ramping up production at the long-dormant studio, which in recent years only served as the occasional art-house distributor for parent companies MGM and Sony.

Under the new administration, UA will produce at least four films per year, with Wagner serving as CEO and Cruise as producer and star. MGM will distribute their pics.

Prior to this new gig, Cruise and Wagner were comfortably ensconced in a fourteen-year relationship with Paramount Studios, where they reaped big returns with Cruise vehicles like "Vanilla Sky," "War of the Worlds," and the "Mission: Impossible" franchise.

But by last summer, it appeared the honeymoon was over as Paramount denied Cruise/Wagner their $10 million annual fee following a year's worth of Tom Cruise zaniness in the media (Oprah couch-jumping, Katie Holmes wooing, Scientology-endorsing, psychiatry-bashing, Brooke Shields-feuding).

In any case, Cruise and Wagner have been given near-total reign to "control the development, production, and greenlighting of UA films, though subject to certain parameters."

Cruise has yet to announce his next starring role following this summer's "Mission: Impossible III" (which grossed $395 million worldwide). Cruise/Wagner Productions is in various stages of production on four upcoming films, including remakes of the Pang brothers' Hong Kong horror flick "The Eye" and the 1975 cult film, "Death Race 2000."

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Movie:	War of the Worlds
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	Mission: Impossible
	Death Race 2000

(1-18 of 18 posts) | Reply

NoirZombi writes:
on Nov 02 2006 04:27 PM

No, Tom, stay away from Daeth Race 3000! No more remakes, no more Cruise. Please Hollywood, spare us!

(Reply to this)

dracus writes:
on Nov 02 2006 05:11 PM

It's make or break time for old Tom. Personally, I think he's going to seize this second chance and revive his popularity and eventually get the Oscar that has eluded him.

(Reply to this)

Xhrix writes:
on Nov 02 2006 06:19 PM

I hope no actors are dumb enough to sign on for any new UA projects.

(Reply to this)

Wildcats35 writes:
on Nov 02 2006 06:26 PM

Go away you Tom haters!!! I do not care what he does on Oprahs couch, or with whoever... As long as he keeps making the great action movies that he has for the past 20 years I will be there.

(Reply to this)

wilkiedriver writes:
on Nov 02 2006 06:45 PM

Hate the man...love the actor.

One of the higher-ups at Paramount had (and have) problems with successful men that were much younger than him. Most of his firings have been younger men. So I don't blame the fall-out on Cruise as much as old Hollywood.

(Reply to this)

murray84 writes:
on Nov 02 2006 06:50 PM

agreed with above..i dont care what he does with his life.. bring on M:I:4...lol

(Reply to this)

dylan21484nj writes:
on Nov 02 2006 08:40 PM

this just in...United Artists has been renamed Xenu Pictures. more to follow...

(Reply to this)

Adonis Zheng writes:
on Nov 03 2006 12:39 AM

O, he is cool, but hope he won't walk on the wrong road, it will destroy him.

(Reply to this)

fizzypulp writes:
on Nov 03 2006 02:42 AM

Agre with the comment Hate the man - love the actor.
i think he is a prize idiot but i cant fault many of this films.
Hopefully this will brign him back to his best

(Reply to this)

Elixir writes:
on Nov 03 2006 03:46 AM

he's a great actor and always delivers entertaining flicks. there is n doubt that he's off the wall, but who cares? who isn't off the wall in hollywood anyways?

(Reply to this)

adml_shake writes:
on Nov 03 2006 05:10 AM

So when are we gonna get punished with the BF:Earth 2 movie?

(Reply to this)

FILMCZY writes:
on Nov 03 2006 07:19 AM

United Artists = "Heaven's Gate." 'nuff said...

(Reply to this)

vic40186 writes:
on Nov 03 2006 08:33 AM

I'm glad to see that such a good and legendary studio like United Artists could finally be rescued by powerful people. MGM and UA must never die.

(Reply to this)

velocity-of-light writes:
on Nov 03 2006 08:39 AM

I used to like the actor, but the man took over. Whenever I see Cruise, even in one of his old movies, all I can think of is the crazy attention-craving moron.

I heard from a poll taken in Europe (sorry no link) that the majority of people would rather be stuck in an elevator with Saddam Hussein than Tom Cruise. OUCH.

(Reply to this)

adml_shake writes:
on Nov 03 2006 09:37 AM

In reply to this comment (#847936)
thats probably because Saddam would end the suffering faster.

(Reply to this)

taran72 writes:
on Nov 03 2006 02:42 PM

Tom is not any crazier than anyone else in Hollywood.

(Reply to this)

unbreakable_samurai writes:
on Nov 03 2006 03:05 PM

I think he's a great actor, and am happy about this. It's nice to see UA is going to be back. Hopefully this will go very well.

(Reply to this)

It. writes:
on Nov 09 2006 04:43 PM

[b]Rain Man= MGM last big hit[/b]
Isn't it ironic?
Rain Man won four oscars and was a huge worldwilde hit.

Tom Cruise has several episodes last years. I think he had a nervous breakdown and nobody could control him.
Can people forgive?
I can, no problem, nobody's perfect.

Tom is nice, no question, but he has a pretty ego ;) He's not the only one though.

Good luck C/W Prod!

(Reply to this)

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