Disney Rejected Tom Cruise Movie as They Were Too Scared of its PG-13 Rating, Universal Swooped in and Made Hefty $157M Profit

Disney Rejected Tom Cruise Movie as They Were Too Scared of its PG-13 Rating, Universal Swooped in and Made Hefty $157M Profit
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Tom Cruise has done a lot of work in his movies where he manages to give his best. Whether it is the Mission: Impossible franchise, Top Gun, or some of the most intriguing films, he always grips the audience. With various movies, he has captivated his fans and many of these had to fight any limiting factor presented before them.

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Oblivion movie starring Tom Cruise
Oblivion movie starring Tom Cruise

Oblivion was especially a movie that stood out, not because of how the critics saw it but, because of how many fans loved it. In the world of science fiction, the movie had a special place in everyone’s heart despite the reviews that critics had. However, there was a high chance that Oblivion would have also faced a lot of problems.

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Universal Acquired Tom Cruise’s Oblivion From Disney

The rights to the Oblivion comics were being auctioned with studios fighting left and right to get their hands on the story. Walt Disney Pictures managed to be the highest bidder and had the rights to the movie. A script was already being developed and the first draft had been prepared. The studio was also responsible for making Tron: Legacy, a movie also with Joseph Kosinki’s mind behind it. The rights were bought from Radical Comics and Kosinski.

Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise

The film was once again put on the market after Disney realized that their family-friendly reputation would heavily impact the way the story is supposed to go. The reputation led to various changes being made in the script that would have made a lot of other factors also being removed and changing the story because of it. Ultimately it was Universal Studios that got the rights to Tom Cruise’s Film. Other studios that were interested in the movie included Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. Universal Studios changed the script so that it could fit the PG-13 rating.

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Tom Cruise’s Oblivion Saw A Few Script Changes

Seeing that Tom Cruise’s movie was able to reach an audience as great, the credit would indeed go to the writers. The original script of Oblivion was written by Joseph Kosinski and William Monahan. However, the script saw changes during its time with Disney. Karl Gajdusek was responsible for changing the script for the first time.

Tom Cruise and Olga Kurylenko in Oblivion
Tom Cruise and Olga Kurylenko in Oblivion

Once the rights of the movie had been transferred from Walt Disney Pictures to Universal Studios, the draft was once again edited. Michael Arndt was responsible for the same. The script was perfected and was turned into a movie adored by fans of science fiction.

Also Read: “Tom and I are both dyslexic”: Tom Cruise Dated Cher Despite Massive Age Gap After Bonding Over Shared Condition in White House Ceremony

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Source: Variety

Adya Godboley

Written by Adya Godboley

Articles Published: 1460

An avid writer fluent in everything Marvel, Adya Godboley is an Assistant Content Lead for FandomWire. She has rich experience in critically analyzing all that is said in between the lines. Hopelessly obsessed with Greek Mythology, she is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in English. Adya has written over 1300 articles on various topics expressing her passion and love for all things entertainment.