Two things became clear after the release of the “The Mummy“: Universal‘s launch of the Dark Universe franchise couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start, with critics savaging the picture, and Tom Cruise is still a massive, global superstar. While the film didn’t perform well at all domestically, it earned the actor the biggest worldwide debut of his career. Cruise will certainly see this as a victory, however, Universal is likely wondering why they gave the keys to this monster movie reboot to one of the most creative control-obsessed actors in Hollywood.
One of the last remaining A-list stars from the ’80s and ’90s who still contractually commands incredible levels of input on every project, according to Variety, Cruise’s hyper-focused micromanagement of “The Mummy” essentially doomed the project. From going to bat for “Mission: Impossible III” writer Alex Kurtzman to direct, to sitting in during the editing sessions, the trade paints a fascinating picture of how Cruise handled every bandage of “The Mummy.” But the most telling influence on the picture may have been how Cruise essentially reshaped the story to make Cruise the center of attention in a movie called “The Mummy”:
There were other ways that “The Mummy” was transformed from a scary summer popcorn movie into a standard-issue Tom Cruise vehicle. The actor personally commissioned two other writers along with McQuarrie to crank out a new script. Two of the film’s three credited screenwriters, McQuarrie and Dylan Kussman, an actor-writer who played small roles in “The Mummy” and “Jack Reacher,” were close allies of Cruise’s. The script envisioned Nick Morton as an earnest Tom Cruise archetype, who is laughably described as a “young man” at one point.
His writers beefed up his part. In the original script, Morton and the Mummy (played by Sofia Boutella) had nearly equal screen time. The writers also added a twist that saw Cruise’s character become possessed, to give him more of a dramatic arc. Even though Universal executives weren’t thrilled about the story — which feels disjointed and includes Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll — they went along with Cruise’s vision.
In Cruise’s defense, his commitment to any given project is not a secret, nor are his demands that everyone around him step-up their game. This is something Universal should’ve clearly known, and if they wanted “The Mummy” to hew closer to their vision, they could’ve hired another lead actor who wouldn’t rock the boat, and stick with the program. Nor is the studio any stranger to what happens when somebody’s influence leans too heavily on a project, as they saw with author E.L. James and “Fifty Shades Of Grey.” So, knock Cruise all you want, but none of this is particularly a surprise.