Tom Cruise's production deal proved mission impossible when the studio holding the cards said it frowns on couch jumping.
Paramount Pictures has decided not to continue its partnership with Hollywood's most powerful celebrity, citing his recent off-camera behavior as its main reason for discontinuing the 14-year relationship.
"As much as we like him personally, we thought it was wrong to renew his deal," said the big cheese himself, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone, to the Wall Street Journal. "His recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount."
Although Paramount reportedly offered Cruise and his production partner, Paula Wagner, a two-year, $2 million-plus-expenses deal several weeks ago, the newly proposed terms were a far cry from the plush circumstances the two had previously been enjoying at the studio. Pundits have suggested that Paramount was still smarting from Mission: Impossible III's less than stellar box office performance--as well as the big ol' payday Cruise was guaranteed for accepting said mission.
This may have been a tip-off too: In early July, a Paramount exec told E! Online columnist Ted Casablanca that Cruise "just isn't performing like he used to."
Still, Wagner was on record calling the new terms "a generous offer," while denying reports that she and Cruise had previously been provided with $10 million a year to develop projects.
Ever the optimist, Wagner also disputed Redstone's implications that Cruise's public displays of affection with both Katie Holmes and Scientology had hurt ticket sales, calling his statements "outrageous and disrespectful." She said that Cruise's agent was the one to pull the plug on the negotiations.
Cruise's camp confirmed that Creative Artists Agency had halted talks with Paramount a week ago.
Reps for the manly half of Cruise/Wagner Productions told the Journal that Cruise and his partner were looking forward to setting up their own indie operation, with $100 million in financing to be provided by two hedge funds, which they refused to name.
"This is a dream of Tom's and mine," Wagner said.
Blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer pointed out to Reuters that Paramount's action could have been motivated by the hefty pricetag a top star like Cruise automatically commands.
"I think the studios are certainly being much more conscious of the bottom line, and they're being much more careful on how they structure their gross deals," Bruckheimer said. "They just are tightening the screws as far as what's good business for them and the [industry]."
While Cruise doesn't exactly qualify as box-office poison--Mission: Impossible III took in $393 million worldwide and War of the Worlds was undeniably successful, grossing almost $592 million--we know what the director of the 44-year-old actor's next film is thinking.
Those Suri pictures better be on the way--and they better be good.