The stars have aligned. Or rather a star and a director have aligned. Tom Cruise and Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu are collaborating on a mysterious new film, and given how both men are known for their fierce commitment to authenticity, we can't wait.
Both men have something to gain. Cruise will be working with an Oscar-winning auteur for the first time in decades, which means he could be looking at a career rebrand. Alejandro G. Iñárritu is coming off the underperforming box office to Bardo (2022), and will undoubtedly have more eyes on his film thanks to Cruise.
There's still plenty that we don't know about the upcoming film, but the details we do have make us pretty excited. Here's what you need to know.
The film is about the most powerful man in the world
The logline for the untitled film is just as grandiose and ambitious as one would expect from a Cruise and Iñárritu collaboration. According to Deadline, the film will center around the "most powerful man in the world," who will, of course, be played by Cruise. The rest is as follows:
"The most powerful man in the world, who embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything."
Talk about dramatic stakes. Iñárritu's films are known for incorporating surreal flourishes, with Birdman (2014) and Bardo being prime examples, so it'll be interesting to see how this tendency manifests in this otherwise bonkers plot.
The film's supporting cast is absolutely stacked
Great actors flock to Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu like moths to a flame. The director knows how to get his stars nominated, and in some instances, even win. It should come as no surprise, then, that the list of actors assembled for his new film is staggering.
Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg, and John Goodman will fill out the ensemble around Tom Cruise. The untitled film will also feature supporting turns from Sandra Hüller and Sophia Wilde. The former had the distinction of being in two films that were nominated for Best Picture in the same year: Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest.
Tom Cruise is shooting for award recognition
Tom Cruise has never won an Academy Award. He's been nominated three times, but not in the 21st century. He's reportedly looking to change that. A source close to the actor told Variety that he wants to move away from blockbusters and return to challenging dramatic fare with acclaimed directors.
"Cruise wants more than action stardom — he’d like to return to working with auteurs like Paul Thomas Anderson," the source claimed. Cruise may not have gotten his PTA reunion (yet), but Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu is an equally smart move.
The Mexican auteur was able to secure the hallowed Best Actor Oscar for Leonardo DiCaprio, there's no reason to assume he can't do it again for Cruise.