Merging the Western theme with the samurai genre in The Last Samurai, acclaimed filmmaker Edward Zwick delivered a phenomenal piece of art in 2003, featuring Tom Cruise. But while the actor came off with a riveting performance, it was rather difficult to cast him, especially after Zwick made a “rookie error”.
During his interview with IndieWire, Edward Zwick noted how he developed The Last Samurai project from scratch. Meanwhile, the filmmaker also revealed how he made the mistake of submitting John Logan’s first draft to Tom Cruise. Obviously, unimpressed with the first draft, the actor graciously rejected it.
Edward Zwick’s Mistake Made Tom Cruise Reject The Last Samurai
Serving the entertainment industry for decades, and delivering audiences with a bunch of renowned movies like Legends of the Fall, Blood Diamond, and more, Edward Zwick revealed his exhilarating Hollywood journey in his upcoming mémoire. The filmmaker’s book Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood is set to release on February 13.
Meanwhile, Edward Zwick sat for an interview with IndieWire, to discuss his journey in detail. During the interview, the filmmaker discussed how he developed The Last Samurai, from scratch. From rewriting John Logan’s first draft to taking it to Warner production chief Lorenzo di Bonaventura’s office, Zwick noted every detail. In between, he revealed a rookie mistake that made Tom Cruise reject the project.
While it might be difficult to imagine The Last Samurai without Tom Cruise, there came a time when the actor gracefully refused to work in the movie. Speaking about the incident that led Cruise to reject the film, Edward Zwick confessed how he made a major mistake that drove away the acclaimed actor.
“John had written a wonderful first draft, but he was then not available to do more work. I made the mistake of actually submitting it to Tom. I’d met Tom years before several times. Graciously, he passed. I was disappointed and realized I had made a stupid rookie error, which is say, give something to somebody before it’s absolutely the best it could be.”
Confessing his mistake during the interview, Edward Zwick noted how he eventually managed to convince Tom Cruise to take on the role.
Edward Zwick Asked Lorenzo di Bonaventura to Convince Tom Cruise
Narrating the event to the interviewer during the conversation, Edward Zwick recalled how he rectified his stupid error with Warner production chief Lorenzo di Bonaventura’s help. Discussing how he rewrote the original screenplay drafted by John Logan, Zwick recalled getting inspired by things in his room to juxtapose Western with the Samurai genre.
“I was sitting there in this room filled with weird things I’ve collected over the years. Some of it was from “Legends of the Fall,” which was the same period of the late 19th century… I rewrote the script in two weeks. I locked myself in there for hours and hours and hours.”
After completing the script and screenplay, Edward Zwick walked up to Lorenzo di Bonaventura’s office to submit the script and ask for his help. After committing the mistake of handing the first draft to Tom Cruise and getting rejected, Zwick understood only Bonaventura could help him bring back Cruise to the project.
“I walked back into [Warner production chief] Lorenzo di Bonaventura’s office, put the script on his desk, and said, “Here, I’ve rewritten it, you don’t have to pay me. What I want you to do is get this so that we can show this to Tom Cruise again.” He said, “Okay.” It is so rare for an actor to turn down something and then read it again.”
Edward Zwick was well aware of how the entertainment industry worked, for he knew it rarely happened that after an actor rejected a script, he read it again. But somehow, crossing his fingers, he hoped to bring back Tom Cruise to the project. Eventually, Lorenzo di Bonaventura succeeded in convincing Cruise to appear as Nathan Algren in the 2003 movie.
Watch The Last Samurai (2003) on Prime Video.
