Tom Cruise Finally Addresses the Rumor That's Swirled Around Him for Years
Rumours that Tom Cruise was due to be cast as Iron Man have been circulating for years. But until recently, the star of Top Gun, Mission Impossible and countless other blockbusters has remained tight-lipped on the issue.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine last year, screenwriter Michael Waldron said that he wanted Cruise to take on the role in an alternate universe version of Iron Man – but that it didn't happen due to scheduling issues.
But he also said that nobody from the production team ever actually reached out to Cruise. He simply saw the rumours going around and thought it might just work. So, he toyed with the idea and pitched the idea to Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios. But that was as far as it went, with Waldron saying that Cruise was already scheduled to film Mission Impossible 7 and 8 at the time.
Cruise, when asked recently during an interview with Phase Zero, backed this up when he said he had never come close to taking on the role. He also pretty much said that he had no burning desire to play a superhero.
Not that this has anything to do with him not liking superhero movies. Indeed, he said he loves Robert Downey Jr. and can't imagine anybody else playing Iron Man. It simply reflected his approach to deciding which roles to accept, based more on understanding what the story and character are and whether the role interests him.
He asks himself what he can contribute and whether moviegoers want to see him playing the role. So, while the actor is adamant he has never been asked to play the role of Iron Man, he hasn't completely ruled out the possibility of starring in a Marvel movie one day.
This means Tom Cruise has finally put to bed any suggestion that he might have been in the running to play Iron Man – while simultaneously igniting rumours that he might one day play a superhero. Which is great news if you love rumours about Marvel and Tom Cruise, but less helpful if you're trying to figure out whether the two will ever collaborate.
More immediately, though, there are pretty strong rumours going around that Tom Cruise's next film will feature a hero who has to go to space to save the planet. And while that may not be a huge surprise, he plans to film some of it in space. Yes, Tom Cruise is believed to be planning a movie that will see him film on location inside the International Space Station – and on the outside of it!
As of yet, these rumours remain unconfirmed. But it seems likely the "adventurous life" he thanked the film industry for at the recent PGA Awards may have a bit more excitement to come.