Caffeinated Clint
Tom Cruise and Sumner Redstone patching things up? Ha!
Sumner Redstone is “open” to the idea of Tom Cruise reprising his role as Ethan Hunt in another “Mission Impossible”, the Paramount chief tells Variety.
The question is, just how ‘’Open’’?
Though Redstone and Cruise grabbed a bite together in March, I think it’s still say there’s not a lot of love lost there – especially since Redstone booted Cruise and producing partner Paula Wagner from the Paramount compound rather brusquely. It’d be like Rocky shaking hands with Ivan Drago, if a business relationship was rekindled here.
A “Mission Impossible 4” is said to be in the works, according to Variety, and nobody has a problem with Cruise again starring in it. That’s what the trade says anyway. I don’t believe one word of it. If Cruise ends up in it, he’ll end up playing the smaller role of a mentor character – think Anthony Hopkins’ cameo in “Mission : Impossible 2” – to whatever heartthrob Paramount casts in it. And you know it. The studio weren’t happy with the performance of “MI:3”, and I’m certain they blame Cruise’s off-screen behaviour at the time on its weak performance, so why would they risk another sequel nosediving at the box office – not when they can cast another A-lister in the movie?
There was talk, a couple of years ago, of Brad Pitt being approached to play a new character in the “Mission : Impossible” series. That could still happen. In fact, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if someone like Pitt, or Gerard Butler, or even Thomas Jane, gets a chance to carry the next “Mission” movie. I’d take a hell of a lot for Paramount to put their faith in another Tom Cruise-led “Mission : Impossible”.
