Cruise/Wagner Productions

Cruise/Wagner Productions is an American independent film production company. The company was founded by actor Tom Cruise and former casting agent Paula Wagner.

Cruise/Wagner was formed to give Cruise more control over the projects that he acts in and retain more of the profits. The company has grossed more than $2.9 billion in box office proceeds since it was founded in September 1993.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Cruise/Wagner had previously had an exclusive deal with Paramount Pictures, but in August 2006 Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom (parent company of Paramount Pictures) terminated that relationship due to Cruise's comments in the media about psychiatry, anti-depressants and Brooke Shields' handling of postpartum depression, and for taking up Scientology.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]} The termination may have been more about money than anything else.^[6][8][9]

Daniel Snyder, owner of Six Flags and the Washington Redskins, and two hedge funds immediately stepped in, and in less than a week, secured financial backing.^{[4][7][10][11]}

In November 2006, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer came to Cruise/Wagner with a deal that gave them a percentage of the ownership in United Artists in an effort to revive the floundering production company.^[1][6][12]

Films

• Mission: Impossible (1996)
• Without Limits (1998)
• Mission: Impossible II (2000)
• The Others (2001)
• Vanilla Sky (2001)
• Narc (2002)
• Hitting It Hard (2002)
• Minority Report (2002)
• Shattered Glass (2003)
• The Last Samurai (2003)
• Suspect Zero (2004)
• War of the Worlds (2005)
• Elizabethtown (2005)
• Ask the Dust (2006)
• Mission: Impossible III (2006)
• Winter Hill Gang (2007)
• Lions for Lambs (2007)
• The Eye (2008/I)
• The Few (2008)
• Death Race (2008)
• Valkyrie (2008)
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "MGM Partners With Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner to Form New United Artists". PR Newswire. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. 2 November 2006. Archived from the original on 16 November 2007. http://www.unitedartists.com/popups/pr/release_08.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b} CNN: Paramount Pictures cuts ties with Tom Cruise - CNN-Money Magazine with Reuters (c/o CNNMoney.com) - 23 August 2006
3. ^ ^{a b} Atkins, Jill. "Sumner Redstone Rebuke of Tom Cruise: Now What? - National Ledger - 24 August 2006
4. ^ ^{a b c} Lieberman, David and Laura Petrecca. "Cruise seeks financial backing from hedge funds" - USA Today - 24 August 2006
5. ^ ^{a b} Epstein, Edward Jay. The Financial Times: Paramount vs. Cruise: all down the killer cut - Financial Times - 24 August 2006
6. ^ ^{a b c d} Clark, John. "The business of Cruise control" - New York Daily News - 23 August 2007
7. ^ ^{a b} Gardner, Chris. "It's a war of the words" - Variety - August 22, 2006
8. ^ Kimball, Trevor. "Paramount Gives Tom Cruise the Boot" - AnActorsJourney.com - 23 August 2006
9. ^ Sperling, Nicole. "Biz eyeing economics of Cruise-Par breakup: DVD slowdown forcing restraint" - Hollywood Reporter - 24 August 2006
10. ^ Olson, Parmy. "Redskins' Snyder Gambles On Tom Cruise" - Forbes Magazine - 29 August 2006
11. ^ Fischer, Martha. "Cruise, Wagner Fight Back" - Cinematical - 23 August 2006
12. ^ "Tom Cruise, Partner to Run Film Studio" - Associated Press - (c/o MSN Movies) - 2 November 2006

External links

• United Artists Official Website