Tom Cruise slatted to run United Artists

Nearly three months ago Tom Cruise was dumped by Paramount Studios and publicly criticized by its president Sumner Redstone. Times have changed a bit for Cruise, who is now expected to run United Artists along with his business partner Paula Wagner.

Formed by former Hollywood actors, United Artists is owned by MGM who recently revealed that Cruise and Wagner had taken an ownership interest in UA.

Both Cruise and Wagner were dumped in August by Paramount after Redstone declared Cruise’s off screen behavior to be detrimental to the company. Leading up to the separation Cruise had: openly criticized Brooke Shields for her use of anti-depressants, displayed his love for Katie Holmes by jumping on a sofa while taping an interview on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and, in Redstone’s mind, alienated himself from women.

Tom Cruise had been a part of Paramount for 14 years and was part of some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters including Interview with the Vampire, Jerry Maguire, War of the Worlds, and the Mission Impossible series.

United Artists puts out about four movies a year and while Cruise may appear in MGM movies there is nothing that stipulates that he can not take part in a rival studio’s production.