It’s no secret that Hollywood studios often employ big names and flashy announcements in order to create hype and distract from negative press. Warner Bros. might be hoping for that. By dangling the tantalizing prospect of a Tom Cruise-Quentin Tarantino collaboration in front of fans, they will mitigate the blow of scrapped projects like Coyote vs. Acme & Batgirl.
According to Variety, Warner Bros. is making big investments in projects by Tom Cruise and Quentin Tarantino, in addition to Joker 2. But are they luring these powerful figures in Hollywood with their own sinister motives?
In recent years, many assumed WB would become a studio non-grata, especially after Discovery purchased the studio and put CEO David Zaslav at the top of the apex, canceling completed films like Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme. Why? Because the tax incentives were too good to resist.
Well, an insider claims that Warner Bros.’ current business model involves essentially gambling with “other people’s money”, which is why they have made some of these high-profile star deals. They hope to use Quentin or Cruise as a “shiny object” that will add value when Zaslav “sells” off the business.
WB’s Leveraging Tom Cruise, Quentin Tarantino to Distract Fans from Coyote vs. Acme & Batgirl Debacle?
Fans were left in a state of shock when Warner Bros. announced at the end of last year that they were canceling Coyote vs. Acme and Batgirl, projects that had generated significant excitement and buzz (see THR). Many people were left perplexed as to why these promising films were suddenly being axed.
Enter Tom Cruise and Quentin Tarantino. Early this year, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group executives Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy met the Top Gun star, the studio’s newest jewel. Variety claims they met in order to choose a film project that would launch their nonexclusive “strategic partnership.”.
Numerous possibilities were reportedly discussed, such as a sequel to Edge of Tomorrow and Quentin Tarantino’s The Movie Critic, which has Warner Bros. and every other major studio salivating because it does not yet have a distributor.
The news that the two titans of Hollywood would be collaborating on a new project under the Warner Bros. banner immediately made headlines and excited fans with a flurry of rumors and speculation. Suddenly, all attention was on Cruise and Tarantino, with scrapped projects like Batgirl fading into the background.
However, sources who have recently done business with the studio claim that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is responsible for the mandate to go to any length to secure top talent.
But what makes the studio willing to take such extravagant financial risks? The studio is “playing with other people’s money,” according to an insider who spoke to Variety, in an attempt to make a new Tarantino or Cruise film a “shiny object” for the studio’s impending sale.
“They’re basically playing with other people’s money. They’re shopping for Quentin or Cruise with the notion they can use it as a shiny object that is going to be additive when Zaslav sells the company.”
Nothing compares to show business!
Warner Bros. Continue to Axe Already Completed Films?
Despite interest from other studios, Warner Bros. has reportedly completely axed Coyote vs. Acme, a Looney Tunes courtroom comedy starring John Cena. The movie’s production was finished, but it was announced in November 2023 that it would be shelved. Subsequently, the studio gave the filmmakers permission to submit the movie to other distributors, but it does not seem like they stood much of a chance.
The Wrap later discovered that Warner Bros. asked competing studios to pay a price tag of $75–$80 million for the movie, reasoning that the tax write-off associated with its shelving would yield an estimated amount of $35–$40 million. The agreement was a “take it or leave it” situation because the studio would not permit interested studios, such as Netflix and Paramount, to match Warner Bros.’ offer.
When Warner Bros. decided to abandon their finished Batgirl film, which starred Leslie Grace and Brendan Fraser. It made headlines back in 2022 (via Deadline). The nearly completed animated film Scoob! Holiday Haunt was also shelved that year.
Unfortunately, none of those projects has yet to see the light of day.
