Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise’s collaboration on the sci-fi action thriller War of The Worlds was hailed as one of the most exciting actor-director combinations. The film expectedly was a huge success and earned over $600 million worldwide while gaining a lot of acclaim from critics as well.
Spielberg also roped in veteran actor Morgan Freeman as the narrator for the H.G. Wells adaptation and elaborated on his very specific reasons for approaching him for the film. Incidentally, this blockbuster was the beginning of a serious feud between Cruise and the director that ultimately ended after 20 years.
Steven Spielberg Was Hellbent On Bringing in Morgan Freeman For His Blockbuster Hit
There are some actors who have an innate aura that defines them as an artist. Morgan Freeman is a celebrity who commands this sort of respect among his peers and audiences. The Oscar winner who has played and mastered every role in his career, was pursued in earnest by Steven Spielberg to be the narrator for his massive hit with Tom Cruise, War of the Worlds.
In an exclusive chat with fellow director James Cameron in the AMC series James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction (via Digital Spy), the Jurassic Park director elaborated on how Freeman’s presence elevated the film to the next level.
Talking about author H.G. Wells’ culmination of the novel, the two prolific filmmakers discussed how the ending that heralded the death of the monsters invading earth felt a tad too simplistic. Therefore, Spielberg wanted to enhance the finale by using Freeman’s nuanced narration to elevate the scene. The veteran’s voice turned out to be the golden touch that was needed.
I had Morgan Freeman help me with it with his narration. Morgan always makes everything sound better.
Ironically, this film which went on to create a lot of buzz at the box office, started the famous war of words between Spielberg and Cruise that lasted for almost 20 years.
Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg’s Feud And Truce Explained
When two members of Hollywood royalty get together, it can be a match made in heaven, but can also lead to friction caused by creative differences and ego clashes. Despite creating a mammoth blockbuster War Of The Worlds together in 2005, Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg’s rapport took a beating that started during the promotions of the film.
According to The Daily Mail (via First Post), the friction commenced from the time of their appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show to promote their film. While the Jurassic Park director focused on marketing the movie, his lead star Tom Cruise addressed everything else but his role in the film.
His infamous couch jump while speaking of his then-girlfriend Katie Holmes not only received critical reactions, but also did not sit well with his director who accused Cruise of shirking his responsibility towards his film.
Cruise made matters worse when he lambasted actor Brooke Shields for taking anti-depressants despite the Blue Lagoon star honestly talking about her struggle with postpartum depression. Though War of the Worlds made a ton of money at the box office, Steven Spielberg believed that Cruise’s strange behavior had affected the film’s chance to earn even more.
But almost 2 decades later, it was all water under the bridge as the actor-director duo buried the hatchet once and for all at 2023’s Oscar luncheon thanks to Top Gun: Maverick. The Oscar-winning filmmaker had words of high praise for Cruise and his $1 billion mega-blockbuster. At the Oscars party, he said,
You saved Hollywood’s a***, and you might have saved theatrical distribution.
The video of the two celebrities shaking hands and exchanging warm hugs broke the internet with viral views. With Cruise and Spielberg back to being friends, it remains to be seen if the duo will collaborate once more after their successful partnership in 2005.
War of the Worlds can be streamed on Paramount+.
