Tom Cruise

Here's some news we can really 'dig.'

The special segment will take place in London as part of the three-episode series 'Late Late London.'

Some days it seems like a new sequel rumor hits the Internet every day. Whispers of Top Gun 2 have been floating around the stratosphere for a few years, with the movie even getting a screenwriter at one point, Val Kilmer vowing to return, and even a mysterious meeting with Jerry Bruckheimer. Sometimes, because of timing or lack of resources or myriad other reasons, sequels just don’t end up happening even if they’re hyped. But today brings good news for Top Gun 2 hopefuls: it’s definitely happening, and Tom Cruise himself says it’ll start filming within the next twelve months.

Tom Cruise is not one for subtlety. After spending the last decade in peak physical condition and proving his prowess through a series of action films, the actor was seemingly worried that we still did not get the point of how impressive he is. So what does Cruise do? He signs on for Methuselah, a movie about a famous biblical character who lived over 900 years and was considered a great warrior and leader for almost all of them. Yes, Tom Cruise, we get the point. You’re amazing and will never actually die

Everyone knows Iron Man as the cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Sark, the man who plays Marvel’s Shellhead. But did you know before Downey got the role and Marvel started its cinematic universe, Tom Cruise wanted to play Tony Stark? At one point, Cruise wanted to star in and produce an Iron Man movie. That’s just one of the Tom Cruise facts featured in the newest episode of You Think You Know Movies!

Pre-production on Mission: Impossible 6 came to a halt last month when a contract dispute between Tom Cruise and Paramount threatened to stall the sixth installment in the blockbuster franchise. The sticking point? Cruise wanted the studio to match — or top — what Universal is paying him to star in The Mummy reboot, but Paramount was a little contentious…yeah right, as if they weren’t going to give Tom Cruise, the star of one of their biggest franchises, what he wants.

At this point in his career, there shouldn’t be much cause for behind-the-scenes drama when it comes to Tom Cruise movies. Cruise wants to star in another Jack Reacher movie? Pay the man. Cruise wants to play a special forces operative fighting a centuries-old mummy? Pay the man. Cruise wants to release a movie where all he does is run for two hours? By all that is holy and good in this world, pay the man!

Listen, I won’t pretend to know whether I’m supposed to be excited about the new Universal Studios monster movies or not. Like most of you, I do get a little bit of a headache every time a studio boss utters the words “shared universe,” but no matter how cynicism I try and muster for the new Tom Cruise remake of The Mummy, I just can’t. It has Tom Cruise! Running around London! Fighting a gosh-darn mummy! Yeah, that’s right, I’m an easy mark.

By my count, Tom Cruise beats up 11 men all by himself in the trailer for Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. 11! And that doesn’t include the four guys he beats up before the trailer starts that they show lying on the ground. And this is just a two minute and 30 second clip...

I reviewed the original Jack Reacher for ScreenCrush back in 2012, and I started that review with this sentence: “If he hadn't already used that title for another movie, Tom Cruise could have easily called Jack Reacher “The Last Samurai.” Which made me chuckle when I reread it this morning. Who directed the new Jack Reacher sequel, Never Go Back? Edward Zwick. And what film did Zwick previously make with Tom Cruise? The Last Samurai.

For all its initial trailers and pilot reviews, AMC’s Preacher has done a serviceable job of keeping its pilot under wraps, save for one widely-reported gag that emerged out of SXSW screenings. The bit even appears to have caught the attention of Tom Cruise, as Seth Rogen reveals that the actor’s camp reached out over an explosive joke.

One of the most frustrating parts of my job are the complaints from some viewers that never line up with reality. When people want to talk about movies with me, the first question after “What should I see right now?” is always some variation of “Why are there so many sequels? Why doesn’t Hollywood make original movies?” I hear this all the time. But the sequels continue to make huge money, while the occasional risk-taking originals tend to fare poorly.