Tom Cruise Was Promptly Shut Down by Mission: Impossible Director After He Went Overboard: ‘We didn’t allow him to do that’
- Tom Cruise's influence in the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise extends beyond acting with creative control over the IP.
- Cruise's suggestion to livestream the editing process of 'Mission: Impossible 2' was declined by director John Woo.
- Cruise's reputation for heavy creative involvement in filmmaking has sometimes sparked criticism.
The Mission: Impossible franchise is one of the most popular espionage franchises ever. It has been almost three decades now since Tom Cruise first appeared as Ethan Hunt and became the face of death-defying action on screen.
Cruise has been in the entertainment business for over four decades now, and he is undoubtedly one of the few actors who has maintained his relevancy and impact even after all these years. However, the actor is often known to be extra passionate about the filmmaking process, which could sometimes lead to creative disagreements.
John Woo rejected Tom Cruise’s suggestion for Mission: Impossible 2
Mission: Impossible 2 was released in 2000, four years after the success of the first movie. Tom Cruise came back as the IMF agent Ethan Hunt to find and stop the biological weapon Chimera and the person behind it. Directed by John Woo, the film performed decently, earning over $546 million worldwide (as per Box Office Mojo).
However, the reviews were not that welcoming, as the movie has a critic rating of 56% and an audience rating of 42% on Rotten Tomatoes. This was the case with the director John Woo at the time. Woo suffered poor reception for Paycheck, after which he was, in a way, forced to take a long break from Hollywood.
By then, Cruise had done enough movies to make him a global superstar, and he had already started producing his own movies. Mission: Impossible 2 was also a similar case, and Cruise, being extra passionate about his projects, wanted to implement his ideas in the filmmaking process.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Woo revealed that Cruise wanted to livestream the editing process of the movie as he was enjoying his vacation in Australia. Woo said,
After the movie finished, he went to Australia for vacation, and then he wanted to put a camera in the cutting room to see our work because he wanted to know what we were doing, and we didn’t allow him to do that. He changed his mind. I said I needed to cut my film without any interference, and he understood.
There were rumors that Cruise tried to interfere too much in the creative process, which sort of backfired with the movie’s reception. However, Woo’s words clarify that although he tried to implement his idea, Woo was the last person to make the call.
Tom Cruise’s creative involvement in filmmaking
The notion that Tom Cruise likes to have a certain control over the production and filmmaking is not entirely false. Cruise likes to have his say during scripting, post-production decisions, and marketing as well. According to Variety, many people associated with The Mummy said the movie was negatively affected by Cruise’s interference.
According to Box Office Mojo, The Mummy earned around $409 million against a production budget of $125 million. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a critic rating of 15% and an audience rating of 35%. However, Universal dismissed the comments about Cruise’s micromanagement, saying, “He has been a true partner and creative collaborator.”
Cruise says, “I don’t just make a movie. I give it everything I have and I expect it from everyone also.” Moreover, according to The Wrap, the actor has control over the IP of Mission: Impossible movies as long as he is starring in it and producing it.
Moreover, with his Cruise/Wagner Productions, Cruise has negotiated deals with big studios like Warner Bros., which allows him to have control over the overall production and marketing of a film as well.
Mission: Impossible 2 is available to stream on Paramount+.
