Cruise/Wagner Productions American film production company
Cruise/Wagner Productions Industry Film Founded July 1992; 33 years ago (1992-07 ) Founder Tom Cruise Paula Wagner Defunct August 2008; 17 years ago (2008-08 ) Fate Partnership dissolved Successor TC Productions Headquarters United States Owner Tom Cruise Paula Wagner
Cruise/Wagner Productions , also abbreviated as C/W Productions , was an American independent film production company . It was founded by actor Tom Cruise and his agent Paula Wagner in July 1992.[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] Wagner had been representing Cruise for eleven years before the formation of C/W Productions.[ 2] [ 3] The company has grossed more than $2.9 billion in box office proceeds since its inception.[ 4] [ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9]
Cruise/Wagner Productions was formed to give Cruise more creative freedom over his film projects and to give him the opportunity to produce and direct motion pictures.[ 3] In October 1992, Cruise/Wagner Productions signed an exclusive three-year multi-picture financing and distribution deal with Paramount Pictures .[ 10] [ 11] The deal was renewed and expanded several times over the next fourteen years. In August 2006 Sumner Redstone , chairman of Viacom (parent company of Paramount Pictures) terminated that relationship citing Cruise's comments in the media about psychiatry , anti-depressants and Brooke Shields ' handling of postpartum depression , and his taking up Scientology .[ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9] [ 12] However, the termination may have been more about money than anything else.[ 9] [ 13] [ 14] Within a week, Daniel Snyder , owner of the Washington Redskins and two hedge funds , secured financial backing to buy the company.[ 7] [ 12] [ 15] [ 16]
In November 2006, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) came to Cruise/Wagner with a deal that gave them a percentage of the ownership in United Artists (UA) in an effort to revive the floundering production company.[ 4] [ 9] This deal fell apart when Wagner left the studio in August 2008.[ 17] [ 18] [ 19] [ 20]
Productions
Feature films
Developed projects
Criminal Conversation (1993, Iain Softley )[ 21] [ 22]
Timejumpers (1997)[ 23]
Metamorphosis (1997)[ 24]
The Five Year Plan (1997, Phillip Kerr )[ 24]
Earth, Wings, and Fire (1997)[ 25]
In the Blue Light of African Dreams (1997)[ 25]
Untitled Phil Spector biopic (1997, Cameron Crowe )[ 26]
Sylvia (1997, Lawrence Kasdan )[ 27]
I Married a Witch (1998, Danny DeVito )[ 28] [ 29]
Touching the Void (1998)[ 30]
The Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998)[ 31]
The Higher Ground (1999, Jim Sheridan )[ 32]
Meet the Shaggs (1999)[ 33]
A Firing Offense (2000)[ 34]
Sunrise at Hastings (2000)[ 35]
Night Train (2000, William Friedkin )[ 36]
The War Magician (2001, Peter Weir )[ 37] [ 38]
Ghost Soldiers (2002, Steven Spielberg )[ 39]
The Bridge (2002)[ 40]
Carter Beats the Devil (2002, Robert Towne )[ 41]
The Light at the End of the Chunnel (2002)[ 42]
Bondswoman's Narrative (2002)[ 43]
17 Stone Angels (2002)[ 44]
The Devil in the White City (2003, Kathryn Bigelow )[ 45]
The Few (2003, Michael Mann )[ 46]
Untitled Peter Landesman script (2004)[ 47]
The Devil's Banker (2004)[ 48]
One Shot (2005)[ 49]
The Fall of the Warrior King (2006)[ 38]
References
^ "Cruise makes a picture deal". NewspaperARCHIVE.com . Lima News. November 4, 1992. p. A4.
^ a b "The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California on July 13, 1992 · Page 152" . Newspapers.com . 13 July 1992. Retrieved 2022-02-26 .
^ a b c "Tom Cruise forms his own film company" . Evening Standard . Newspapers.com. July 14, 1992. p. 12. ISSN 2041-4404 . Retrieved 2022-02-26 . Scroll down to 'Show 12 article text'
^ a b "MGM Partners With Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner to Form New United Artists" . Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. PR Newswire. 2 November 2006. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008.
^ a b Paramount: Cruise is risky business - CNN -Money Magazine with Reuters (c/o CNNMoney.com) - 23 August 2006
^ a b Atkins, Jill. "Sumner Redstone Rebuke of Tom Cruise: Now What? Archived 2007-11-18 at the Wayback Machine - National Ledger - 24 August 2006
^ a b c Lieberman, David and Laura Petrecca. "Cruise seeks financial backing from hedge funds" - USA Today - 24 August 2006
^ a b Epstein, Edward Jay. The Financial Times: Paramount vs. Cruise: all down the killer cut - Financial Times - 24 August 2006
^ a b c d Clark, John. "The business of Cruise control" - New York Daily News - 23 August 2007
^ "Evening Standard from London, Greater London, England on October 29, 1992 · 19" . Newspapers.com . 29 October 1992. Retrieved 2022-02-26 .
^ "The Index-Journal from Greenwood, South Carolina on November 4, 1992 · Page 10" . Newspapers.com . 4 November 1992. Retrieved 2022-02-26 .
^ a b Gardner, Chris. "It's a war of the words" - Variety - August 22, 2006
^ Kimball, Trevor. "Paramount Gives Tom Cruise the Boot" Archived 2008-01-10 at the Wayback Machine - AnActorsJourney.com - 23 August 2006
^ Sperling, Nicole. "Biz eyeing economics of Cruise-Par breakup: DVD slowdown forcing restraint" Archived 2009-01-13 at the Wayback Machine - The Hollywood Reporter - 24 August 2006
^ Olson, Parmy. "Redskins' Snyder Gambles On Tom Cruise" - Forbes magazine - 29 August 2006
^ Fischer, Martha. "Cruise, Wagner Fight Back" - Cinematical - 23 August 2006
^ Finke, Nikki. "Tom Cruise's Movie Studio Imploding: Paula Wagner Is DOA At United Artists; But Was It Suicide or Murder By MGM? - Deadline Hollywood - 13 August 2008
^ Flemming, Michael. "Paula Wagner leaves UA - Variety (magazine) - 13 August 2008
^ Tom Cruise Splits From Long Time Partner (Sydney Morning Herald newspaper)
^ Cruise loses studio partner (The Guardian newspaper)
^ Fleming, Michael (November 30, 1993). "Cruise has 'Criminal' intent" . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Fleming, Michael (June 12, 2000). "Wahlberg circles 'Criminal' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Johnson, Ted; Hindes, Andrew (January 21, 1997). "Par and Cruise buying 'Time' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ a b Fleming, Michael; Petrikin, Chris (February 4, 1997). "SARKIN'S LIFE LINE" . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ a b Hindes, Andrew (March 25, 1997). "For new battalion of studio pix, war is swell" . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Fleming, Michael (April 22, 1997). "Cruise talks Spector pic" . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Busch, Anita M. (June 23, 1997). " 'Sylvia' to bark onscreen" . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Variety Staff (January 20, 1998). "Harling lands 'Ladykillers' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Harris, Dana (February 24, 2003). "Embarrassment of witches at Col" . Variety . Retrieved June 24, 2024 .
^ Carver, Benedict (June 23, 1998). "Cruise may enter 'Void' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Carver, Benedict (September 22, 1998). "Fine Line hot about 'Arctic' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Variety Staff (February 1, 1999). "Blum work blooms; countdown to '13 Days' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Bing, Jonathan (July 24, 2000). "Artisan tunes up Shaggs" . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Lyons, Charles (January 11, 2000). "Bruckheimer pacts with journo" . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Brodesser, Claude (May 30, 2000). "A blazing 'Sunrise' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Fleming, Michael (October 10, 2000). "Salerno tries on Jersey deal" . Variety . Retrieved June 24, 2024 .
^ "Cruise set to play British war magician" . The Guardian . January 29, 2001. Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ a b Fleming, Michael; Gardner, Chris (August 23, 2006). "Who gets what?" . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Brodesser, Claude; Bing, Jonathan (January 24, 2002). "Cruise-Wagner drafting 'Soldiers' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Fleming, Michael (February 7, 2002). "Par, Cruise lift 'Bridge' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Dunkley, Cathy; Bing, Jonathan (February 11, 2002). "Par, Cruise/Wagner set to beat the 'Devil' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ "Cruise 'to make Channel Tunnel' movie" . Irish Examiner . May 23, 2002. Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Nakao, Annie (June 23, 2004). "Newest finds in slave narratives" . SFGate . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Bing, Jonathan (July 2, 2002). "Par blesses 'Angels'; soccer moms 'Kicking' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Bing, Jonathan; McNary, Dave (April 8, 2003). "All's fair in race to make killer bios" . Variety . Retrieved January 10, 2023 .
^ Fleming, Michael (September 9, 2003). "New flight plan for Cruise" . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Fleming, Michael; Bing, Jonathan (February 10, 2004). "Centropolis sets slave pic" . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ McNary, Dave; Fleming, Michael (November 10, 2004). "Cruise/Wagner cash in on novel 'Banker' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
^ Fleming, Michael (June 23, 2005). "Paramount takes a 'Shot' " . Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2025 .
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