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Tom Cruise‘sMission: Impossiblefranchise is one of the longest-running franchises of all time. Despite the fact that it has been twenty-seven years since the firstMission: Impossiblefilm was released, the movies have only gone upward on the graph. Undoubtedly, the success of the franchise has a lot to do with its lead actor.
Tom Cruise knows what his fans want and he is not afraid to deliver. With back-to-back dangerous stunts, it’s safe to say that the actor has put his life on the line for the franchise. However, there came a little speed bump on the road when Paramount essentially fired Tom Cruise from the franchise and terminated their deal. Of course, you can’t get rid of Tom Cruise that easily!
Also Read:“That’s when she quickly walked away”: Before Failed Attempt on Shakira, Tom Cruise’s Real Mission Impossible Was to Date Latin Bombshell Sofia Vergara
Tom Cruise Was Fired FromMission: Impossible
Also Read:“It sounds extremely patronizing”: Tom Cruise Left $377M Franchise When Author Said He’s “Too Old”, Let Fast X Star Replace Him?
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Sumner Redstone – chairman of Paramount’s parent company Viacom, in 2006 – publically criticizedTom Cruisefor his irrational behavior. He stated that the company does not want to associate with someone who was hell-bent on committing“creative suicide”and was causing a loss of company revenue.
“We don’t think that someone who effectuates creative suicide and costs the company revenue should be on the lot […] His recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount…He had never behaved this way before, he really went over the top.”
This animosity came afterMission: Impossible IIIcouldn’t perform as well as its predecessors. As compared toMission: Impossible($457 million) andMission: Impossible 2($546 million), the third film could only bring in $398 million.
On top of that, Cruise’s Q rating, a measure of popularity, dropped by a whopping 40%. It seemed as if the actor was detaching himself from his fan following, especially the women who were so crazy about him. During this time, Cruise was heavily involved in his romantic relationship withKatie Holmes, with whom he tied the knot in 2006. It’s almost as if every little factor contributed to Cruise’s apparent downfall and removal from the franchise.
Also Read:“My sons loved that”: Marvel Star Took Quentin Tarantino’s Humiliation Like a Champ After Director Cut His Scenes From $377M Movie That Nearly Starred Tom Cruise
How Did Tom Cruise Bounce Back?
The question is, if the team at Paramount was so dead set on not wanting to work with theTop Gun: Maverickactor, what exactly changed their minds? Well, after all, was said and done, Cruise went on to star inLions For LambsandValkyrie.These two films were met with mixed feedback from the audience. However, things changed when people say the actor put his talents on full display inTropic Thunder.
The performance was loved by everyone at Paramount that they wanted to make a spin-off for Cruise’s character inTropic Thunder.Eventually, with the help of directorJ.J. Abrams, Cruise was able to convince the studios to let him do a fourthMission: Impossible.Paramount agreed on the condition that they would groom another actor for the role side by side, which just so happened to beJeremy Renner.
Of course, their plans couldn’t come to fruition as the release ofMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocolmanaged to knock everyone’s socks off. The film did exceptionally well at the box office, making a little under $700 million. Fans and critics loved Cruise’s performance, and the rest as they say, is history!
You can stream theMission: Impossiblefilms on Paramount+.
Source:The Wall Street Journal (via ScreenCrush)
Mishkaat Khan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2257
A connoisseur of all things horror, fantasy, and the occasional chick flick, Mishkaat has been penning pieces for FandomWire since 2022. She started off as an intern and has worked her way up to a Senior Writer with over 2000 articles to her name.Outside of entertainment, she has also written well-researched medical content as a freelance writer and has experience in social media management.When not writing, you may find her relaxing with a romance novel and a tall glass of iced coffee in her hand or watching re-runs of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Office.’
