Tom Cruise is publicly supporting Paramount's pledge to release 30 movies per year if its proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery closes. He made the comments during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, where he was booked to discuss a newly announced sequel to his 1990 racing film Days of Thunder.
When host Pat McAfee asked Cruise about Paramount CEO David Ellison's production promise, the actor was direct. "I think it's awesome. You know, here's the thing: They're going to deliver 30 movies. It's a community to me. It's not an industry. The people in these studios are not just people in the studios, they're my family," Cruise told McAfee. "I know we're going to get those 30 movies. I want us all to come together as a community to make help those 30 movies. It's not just going to be Paramount doing it. Everyone's going to need all the help of every artist to be able to do it."
Cruise went further, suggesting the number could grow. "Those 30 movies are going to turn into 40 movies," he said. "It's not good enough that I just get to make this movie for me. I see so many talented people that I want them to have that opportunity, to make the films that they want."
He framed the argument around the career paths of filmmakers who built their craft over time. "Every single one of them, the Iñárritus, the Spielbergs, the Nolans, me, all the opportunities that I've had, I want that for every writer, every director, every producer, every artist," Cruise said. "And the only way you do it is we have to create an abundance. It's production begets production."
According to The Wrap, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison made the 30-films-a-year commitment to theater owners and major chains including AMC and Regal as part of an effort to win support for the merger. That support came from those companies and Cinema United. However, the deal remains in court, held up by an antitrust lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta along with 11 other state attorneys general. The Writers Guild of America has also raised opposition to the deal.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Cruise also discussed Days of Thunder 2 during the interview, which will star Anne Hathaway alongside Cruise and is set for release in summer 2028. Cruise said he has been thinking about the character of Cole Trickle for years. "I've been thinking about Cole Trickle for a long time," he told McAfee. "I love the sport. You know, I grew up, like, just taking cars in the back streets, before I had my license and racing on country roads and looking at dirt tracks, and I love NASCAR and I love racing."
When asked whether he would personally drive the race cars in the film, Cruise did not hesitate. "Here's the thing: If I'm making a movie about airplanes, I'm flying them," he said. "I'm driving."
Opposition to the merger has continued to build in other parts of Hollywood. The Wrap reported that Emmy winners Bradley Whitford and Hannah Einbinder joined Jane Fonda and her Committee for the First Amendment in a video campaign released Tuesday denouncing the deal. "No matter what Paramount promises," Einbinder said in the video, "this mega merger — the largest financial transaction in Hollywood history — would cause massive layoffs and cuts to programming."
