So much for the much-hyped Hollywood divorce. It appears mega movie star Tom Cruise and mega movie mogul Sumner Redstone have decided to kiss and make up.
You’ll recall the two power brokers parted ways in 2006 after 14 years together. Redstone, the executive chairman and controlling shareholder of Viacom Inc., and Cruise went through a bitter and very public split in the summer of 2006 when the movie guru kicked the actor and his producing partner off the Paramount Pictures lot (Viacom is Paramount’s parent company) and ended their multi-million dollar deal to develop projects for the studio.
Well, either time truly does heal all wounds or miracles really do happen in Hollywood because a few days ago Redstone announced that he has no objection to Cruise starring in the next installment of the “Mission Impossible” movie series.
So what we all thought was an unsalvageable relationship has now apparently been resurrected and Katie Holmes’ 45-year-old hubby is indeed in talks with Paramount to star in a fourth “Mission: Impossible” film.
“I consider Tom Cruise a great actor and a good friend,” Redstone told reporters. “And if Paramount decides – and they will make the decision – to move ahead with him, I will not object.”
According to Redstone, he’s not in charge of hiring actors for movies (that job is reportedly up to Brad Gray, who runs Paramount) so he can’t say for certain whether Cruise will get the gig.
Oh yeah, right.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if Redstone put the kibosh on hiring Nicole Kidman’s ex he would not be coming near the Paramount lot regardless of what Gray had to say.
Interestingly, Redstone’s recent comments came just days after Cruise invited Oprah Winfrey (and the crew from her TV talk show) to his Colorado estate to set the record straight on what possessed him to jump on her couch during his last televised interview with her. You’ll recall that when Redstone cut ties with Cruise in 2006 he cited the actor’s “recent conduct,” which referenced Suri’s dad’s infamous couch jumping incident and his verbal sparring with Matt Lauer on the “Today” show over antidepressant drugs.
Now that Redstone and Cruise are back together again does this mean there is new hope for Kevin and Britney?