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View Full Version : Tom Cruise/Paula Wagner Take Over United Artists

Kid Rasta
11-02-2006, 12:06 PM
From HR:

In a surprising move announced Thursday morning, United Artists will be reborn under the leadership of Paula Wagner, Tom Cruise and MGM.

Cruise and Wagner, who recently ended their longtime production deal at Paramount Pictures , have taken a financial stake in the studio originally founded by movie greats Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith 85 years ago. The two will set the company's production slate with Wagner serving as CEO and Cruise starring and producing films for UA as well as film projects for other studios.

The studio plans to have a production slate of approximately four films each year, with MGM handling worldwide marketing and distribution. The films will be fully financed by MGM and its partners, including private equity firms which include Providence Equity Partners and Texas Pacific Group along with industry partners Comcast Corp. and Sony Corp. of America.

"Partnering with Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner, we have the ideal creative foundation from which to reintroduce the United Artists brand," said MGM chairman and CEO Harry Sloan in making the announcement. "Tom and Paula are the modern versions of the iconic founders of United Artists - Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and D. W. Griffith - and our partnership with them reaffirms our commitment to providing creative talent with a comfortable home at United Artists and a dedicated distribution partner in MGM. United Artists is once again the haven for independent filmmakers and a vital resource in developing quality filmed entertainment consistent with MGM's modern studio model."
jimjimgrande
11-02-2006, 12:18 PM
Tom & Paula = Douglas, Mary, Charlie, and Griffith

yeah - I can see that.
Joe Unidos
11-02-2006, 12:43 PM
Perhaps we are witnessing the birth of United Artistolegists.
sc111
11-02-2006, 01:40 PM
Um ... UA will produce approximately 4 films per year? Is that number right?
Pull Back Reveal
11-02-2006, 01:57 PM
Um ... UA will produce approximately 4 films per year? Is that number right?

It's half what Disney's doing. Plus, since UA's publicist will be Tom's sister, she'll have her hands full organizing four premieres, all the press releases, finding a printer for the posters, etc.
Kid Rasta
11-02-2006, 04:12 PM
What types of films, and what will be the budgets for the films that will be shot out of UA by Tom & Paula???
jimjimgrande
11-02-2006, 04:55 PM
shot out of UA by Tom & Paula???

Thanks for the visual - that's super-funny.
theradicalone
11-02-2006, 10:32 PM
his first movie he will play a gay movie star, that thinks he's tall. he has volunteered not to have a stand in during the man on man scenes and hopes the realism will capture some of the actual events depicted in real gay relationships.
TDWoj
11-02-2006, 11:24 PM
Well, if you can't beat 'em... buy 'em!

"...a haven for independent filmmakers."

Yeah. More like a vanity studio for Cruise so that he can give himself the paycheque that Paramount refused to supply.
TDWoj
11-03-2006, 11:11 AM
If you're a Scientologist, make sure you make mention of that in your query letter. It'll be a guaranteed sale.

-T, being cynical
Kid Rasta
11-03-2006, 01:54 PM
his first movie he will play a gay movie star, that thinks he's tall. he has volunteered not to have a stand in during the man on man scenes and hopes the realism will capture some of the actual events depicted in real gay relationships.

Ouch!
deadeye
11-03-2006, 02:28 PM
Knock Cruise all you want but at least he had the balls to do Vanilla Sky [ Spanish original was great who knows how much Universal screwed up the remake] War of The Worlds [book was great, who knows how much Universal screwed up the remake] Minority Report [ book/story was great who knows how much Universal screwed up the adaptation]
And he spent two YEARS filming Eyes Wide Shut. Name me one other A lister who would do that?

I might not like his personal philosophy, but I admire his conviction.
writer0825
11-03-2006, 03:14 PM
I think their first film should star Brooke Shields! :rolling:
deadeye
11-03-2006, 04:03 PM
I think their first film should star Brooke Shields! :rolling:

I don't get it?
writer0825
11-03-2006, 04:27 PM
Because of all the drama between Brooke and Tom.
deadeye
11-03-2006, 05:03 PM
Because of all the drama between Brooke and Tom.
Who cares? Brooke and Tom are the who cares if they wear white shoes after Labor Day crowd.
writer0825
11-03-2006, 05:23 PM
It was meant to be a joke. Don't take it so seriously. :p
sc111
11-04-2006, 08:53 AM
Tom Cruise's films make money for himself & Hollywood. No one can deny that, his portfolio of films is huge - with very very few clunkers. (I can only think of Cocktail).

I personally think he's a better actor than the commercial vehicles he stars in have yet to reveal.

He was riveting in Magnolia, and I'd love to see him do something like that again. That performance holds up to Pacino and Deniro in their hey days.

There's something about the guy - even in his sofa-jumping or Scientology-preaching moments - an intense sympatico. And I suspect that's why people either love him or hate him, with no in between.

The other thing I like about him, even though he's "movie star" status, he shares the screen. He takes roles which allow other actors to shine.

Rain Man is a great example - yes, Hoffman was amazing, but Cruise was also amazing in the way he created the counter-balance. That's the kind of film you watch unable to imagine any other two actors in the roles.

He'll probably get an honorary Oscar 20 years from now when the sheer volume of the good films he's made becomes even more impossible to deny.

I truly hope this new studio arrangement enables Cruise to explore more roles in smaller films like Magnolia.
nic.h
11-14-2006, 02:56 AM
And he spent two YEARS filming Eyes Wide Shut. Name me one other A lister who would do that?
.

Nicole Kidman? :D