Well, that didn’t take long. Just days after the world learned of the bitter split between Tom Cruise and Paramount Pictures, several news organizations are announcing that the actor has found someone willing to “show him the money.”
Yes, Tom Cruise has found a new financial backer for his films. According to Hollywood trade publications, the Mission: Impossible star has struck a deal with “an investment group that includes Daniel M. Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins football team.” In addition to owning the Redskins, Snyder is also the chairman of Six Flags, Inc. (One can safely assume that Snyder probably had a LOT of “the money” to show Cruise.) The L.A. Times is reporting that Snyder is the “lead investor” in a two-year agreement with Cruise and his producing partner, Paula Wagner.
Apparently, Snyder has done quite a bit of business with Hollywood stars and some other big names in the movie industry. PEOPLE Magazine reports that over the last several years Snyder has entered into numerous deals with both Harvey Weinstein (FYI—Weinstein is also a director on the Six Flags board) and Bill Gates. While neither side has disclosed how much Cruise and Wagner would receive as part of the new deal, the news puts to rest rumors that it would be a while before the megawatt actor would be seen on the big screen again.
Personally, I never bought into those rumors. Sure, Cruise drew a lot of attention to himself when he jumped on Oprah’s couch; and yes, I was appalled by his comments to Matt Lauer regarding Brooke Shields’ bout with postpartum depression; and of course, there are those bizarre baby Suri rumors. But to say Cruise’s star was permanently tarnished and that he would have a difficult time finding a financial backer for future projects, well, I suppose now we all know better.