failed project

juliezhou · Guru

failed project

juliezhou · Guru

10 Roles Written For Tom Cruise (& The Actors Who Actually Played Them)

BYMIKE REISTETTER

PUBLISHED MAR 13, 2021

Tom Cruise is a box office megastar but there were also plenty of movies he could've starred in but didn't even though roles were made for him.

There have actually been many that he just missed out on. The following films were either turned down by the three-time Oscar nominee due to prior engagements or were originally written for him - but for whatever reasons, never made it to him in the form of an offer.

Jericho Cane in End of Days (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

Rather than plunge into the supernatural action-horror genre upon his return to the box-office following a grueling two-year and all-consuming shoot on Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut, Cruise instead chose a low-time-demand/high-reward role in Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia to complete his 1999 slate.

The religiously-charged and far-out concept-wielding End of Days would ultimately serve as a comeback vehicle for another missed after a brief hiatus star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who at the time had taken a couple of years off while recovering from heart surgery.

John Gage in Indecent Proposal (Woody Harrelson)

Noted romantic drama director Adrian Lyne - who is back after nearly twenty years off this fall - divulged that at one point, Indecent Proposal could have been a starring vehicle for Tom Cruise and then-wife Nicole Kidman.

The film ultimately featured Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore as the couple thrust into conflict when a billionaire (Robert Redford) offers them a fortune in exchange for one night of intercourse between him and the latter.

Jack Traven in Speed (Keanu Reeves)

John Traven on the phone as an explosion goes off in the background

Cruise was not the only star almost chosen over a pre-Matrix Keanu Reeves to headline what's been accurately deemed "Die Hard on a Bus."

According to co-writer Graham Yost, Tom Hanks, Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, and Stephen Baldwin were also in contention.

Edward Scissorhands in Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp)

Edward Scissorhands in illustrated picture with arms outstretched looking sad.

As the story goes, Cruise had the off-beat and off-brand role "in the bag" before over-inquisition caused him to psych himself out of the part no one these days can imagine anyone other than Johnny Depp playing.

The first of many collaborations between the frequent costume transformer and director Tim Burton, one wonders how much more nightmare fuel its alternate universe cut with Cruise as the shy barber from the high-rise mansion watching over Blandtown, USA would produce.

Tony Stark in Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.)

At this point, most everyone knows Cruise was an early front runner for Iron Man (2008) - with the logistic uncertainties regarding the then-only recently-been-sober Robert Downey Jr.

A decade and a half later, the consensus agrees that they love Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau's choice 3000. But would Cruise have sported the goatee? Only the multi-verse may hold the answers of that which the MCU faithful seek.

John Nash in A Beautiful Mind (Ron Howard)

Cruise flirted with the role that would ultimately net Russell Crowe his third consecutive Oscar nomination for best leading performance.

Had he not passed on A Beautiful Mind, Cruise would have teamed up with his Far and Away director, Ron Howard, on the picture. For his 2001 big-budgeted outing, Cruise instead chose to follow up the previous year's critically-divisive Mission: Impossible sequel with even more polarizing fare.

Charlie Fineman in Reign Over Me (Adam Sandler)

Cited in many reviews at the time of its release, like Peter Travers' for Rolling Stone, filmmaker Mike Binder originally wrote the 2007 drama - about a dazed-and-in-denial out-of-practice dentist who lost his entire family years earlier in 9/11 - with Cruise in mind.

When the funding came in, Cruise turned down the role that would ultimately go to funnyman (but not completely inexperienced dramatist) Adam Sandler. Notably, Michael Mann offered Sandler the part eventually played by Jamie Foxx opposite Cruise in Collateral (2004).

Ren in Footloose (Kevin Bacon)

An entire feature-length outing of Cruise demonstrating the dance moves he iconically put on display for the Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock & Roll"/home alone bit in Risky Business could have been something.

However, producers had to settle for a more-than-adequate back-up in Kevin Bacon when Cruise's schedule on the little-seen football drama All The Right Moves forced him to reject the offer to play the Footloose lead.

Phil Spector in an unmade biopic (Al Pacino in Phil Spector)

Ideally, Tom Cruise and Cameron Crowe can complete the third leg of their trilogy together at some point. The film they had lined up next following the Oscar-darling Jerry Maguire (1996) and the misunderstood but-still-a-box-office-smash Vanilla Sky (2001) stalled indefinitely when its subject got himself in hot water.

Originally intended as a biopic on the complicated life of music producer Phil Spector, the "Let it Be" salvager's 2003 arrest and subsequent conviction years later for the murder of Lana Clarkson would ultimately alter what type of movie could be made about him.

Steve Jobs in Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender)

"Though both (Scott Rudin and Danny Boyle) remain concerned about (Cruise's) age (me less so), everyone agrees that he's an actor who can really handle language (Lions for Lambs, Magnolia, A Few Good Men) and a movie star who feels comfortable owning the stage," wrote acclaimed screenwriter Aaron Sorkin in an e-mail leaked via the 2014 Sony Hack.

By the time it had been made public that Sorkin's A Few Good Men teammate Tom Cruise was his first choice to play the late Apple founder and innovator Steve Jobs in the film of the same name, Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio and others had already circled the rounds before Michael Fassbender was cast. Not a bad consolation prize in the slightest.

https://screenrant.com/tom-cruise-movie-roles-written-for-him-didnt-star/#jericho-cane-in-end-of-days-arnold-schwarzenegger

juliezhou · Guru

another one:

The Shawshank Redemption

The enduring legacy of Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, is that of a rich, balanced narrative that captures the idea of the triumph of the human spirit without coming off as superficial or forced. Based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the film’s titular character, Andy Dufresne, was to be played by Cruise, as per the vision of producer Rob Reiner. Reiner, who had previously worked with Cruise on the sets of A Few Good Men, offered Darabont “a sh*tload of dough” in exchange for casting Cruise and handing over artistic control. While it was a tempting offer, Darabont refused, choosing to hold on to his creative integrity. The rest is history, as the film went on to garner seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

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看来，Rob Reiner确实喜欢阿汤，同理Ron Howard（beautiful mind），阿汤没参与的这两部都是得奖片，时也运也，不能强求。还有Aaron Sokin，凡是合作过想再合作第二次的，那么的确是互相欣赏，不然，就是纯粹的商业互夸。不过，科波拉很小气，斗鱼被阿汤拒了之后，就没说过阿汤好话，你给人家个小配角，阿汤宁当鸡头不当凤尾，选择risky business真还做对了。还有斯皮尔伯格本来要执导雨人，后来去帮卢卡斯了，后来90年代又要找阿汤，还是演一个西班牙人，被阿汤拒了。。。

juliezhou · Guru

推上汤粉总结的没拍成的电影：

juliezhou · Guru

Aaron Sorkin originally wanted Tom Cruise to play Steve Jobs in upcoming biopic

Dec 9 2014

While it has ultimately been decided that Michael Fassbender will be cast as Steve Jobs in the upcoming biopic about the late Apple co-founder, a leaked email exchange reveals that writer Aaron Sorkin originally had a more prominent actor in mind for the role: Tom Cruise.

Ars Technica has shared a few excerpts from the email exchange, leaked as part of the massive Sony data dump, in which Sorkin tells Columbia Pictures chairman Amy Pascal that he has somewhat convinced producers Danny Boyle and Scott Rudin about casting Cruise as Jobs.

Sorkin wrote in his email:

I’ve gotten Scott and Danny to the point where they’re now a little interested in Tom Cruise. Though both remain concerned about his age (me less so) everyone agrees that he’s an actor who can really handle language (Lions for Lambs, Magnolia, A Few Good Men) and a movie star who feels comfortable owning the stage. He’s in London filming right now and Scott wants to get him a script to read and a meeting with Danny before Danny comes here to LA next week. I’ve been warned that he likes to bring in Chris McQuarrie to re-write but [CAA agent] Maha Dakhil (who wants him in the movie) has assured me that won’t happen.

The screenwriter then wrote a follow-up email:

I just got off the phone with Danny who’s concerned about the age but I think I got him thinking about it and he’s going to look at some scenes from Lions for Lambs where Tom’s basically auditioning for Jobs. He’s also concerned that the choice will be met with derision because it’s such a commercial choice but I honestly think that ends up working for us. Tom’s going to surprise some people and they’ll want to reward that. I don’t think we’d have to recast Woz. Seth’s the right age in the first act and Tom’s the right age in the third. And the movie announces itself pretty quickly as not being literalCas being a painting rather than a photograph. Look, I wouldn’t cast Clint Eastwood but if I saw Tom Cruise flying around the backstage corridors of Symphony Hall I wouldn’t think he was too old. I think it would be dazzling performance.

Pascal agreed bringing on Cruise was a good idea, adding that Boyle and Rudin were skeptical about the actor’s older age and were more set on having Fassbender play the role. The emails were exchanged in late October, just weeks before Sony handed off the movie to Universal.

Sorkin was quite blunt in his response: “This used to be an event. I don’t know who Michael Fassbender is and the rest of the world isn’t going to care. This is insane.” He soon conceded that Fassbender is a “great actor whose time has come,” noting that “if the movie’s good, he’ll be on the cover of everything and get nominated for everything.”

While Sorkin was eyeing Cruise, the emails revealed actors Matthew McConaughey and Tobey McGuire both expressed interest in portraying Jobs in the biopic, according to Ars.

The leaked Sony data most recently revealed falling revenue forecasts for the Steve Jobs biopic and confirmed actress Natalie Portman’s decision to pass up a role in the movie. In addition to Michael Fassbender cast as Steve Jobs and Seth Rogen cast as Steve Wozniak, Universal is eyeing The Newsroom star Jeff Daniels to play former Apple CEO John Sculley, although the leaked emails show actor Tom Hanks previously expressed interest in the role.

Production of the biopic will reportedly begin in the spring.

https://9to5mac.com/2014/12/09/tom-cruise-steve-jobs-movie/

juliezhou · Guru

The most common explanation given by publicity people for almost any Hollywood decision is “artistic reasons.” For example, when Tom Cruise turned down a starring role in Cold Mountain, he said through a spokeperson that he had decided against the film for artistic reasons, not financial ones.

---- The big picture the new logic of money and power in Hollywood (Epstein, Edward Jay)

juliezhou · Guru

Opening Door For Tom Cruise As The Lizard King Instead Of Val Kilmer?

Kassar’s gamble worked brilliantly on First Blood, and he had the same gambler’s instincts when Carolco set up The Doors with Oliver Stone directing.

“We were casting the part of Jim Morrison, I get a call from Tom Cruise’s agent Paula Wagner,” Kassar said. “Tom Cruise is dying to pay Jim Morrison,” she tells me. And immediately my eyes go wide, thinking what Tom Cruise would mean to my foreign sales and the film’s budget. He came to lunch with me and Oliver, and I swear to you, I’ve never seen an actor almost begging. And this is Tom Cruise.”

Even though Stone had recently worked with Cruise and won an Oscar directing Born on the Fourth of July C Cruise was nominated for playing Ron Kovic, Stone wasn’t swayed. Unbeknownst to Cruise or Kassar even, Stone had his heart set on another actor. The Doors’ music helped keep Stone going when he enlisted and fought in the Vietnam jungles, and the filmmaker knew just what he wanted to do.

“It was typical Oliver,” Kassar said. “He has to throw this curveball. He says, ‘I don’t think he’s the right guy. I think I have another guy in mind. And then he showed me Val in character, and I said, you know what? Fu*k, you’re right. Why do you have to be right? He looked exactly like him. I said, go for it. Val was so good in it, absolutely the right choice.”

Kassar had fond memories of traveling with Kilmer to promote the film, with the actor choosing to stay in character the entire time, which created challenges with passport control.

https://deadline.com/2025/04/mario-kassar-tom-cruise-nearly-jim-morrison-in-the-doors-1236381201/