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Often appearing as an action hero, Hollywood’s most celebrated actor Tom Cruise once wished for his career to span into Disney movies. Apart from tackling difficult stunts and challenging projects, the actor wanted to explore a sci-fi live-action movie by Disney. However, despite Cruise’s undoubted power play in the entertainment industry, he lost the role to another actor who was nearly 20 years younger than him.
Celebrating 11 years anniversary of Disney’sJohn Carter, it is safe to say Tom Cruise luckily dodged a bullet by getting rejected from his role. Irrespective of Cruise being desperate for the project, the rejection somehow saved his career from a massive downfall.
Also read:Tom Cruise Has Proved His Stardom Again and Again as He Has Grossed Over $8.4 Billion Worldwide With His Movies
Tom Cruise Lost A Million-Dollar Disney Role
Well-known action star from the 80s, Tom Cruise built his career with his evergreen projects likeTop GunandCocktail. Carrying along his charm and intensity, the actor became one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood, following his dozens of hit films. Spanning his career through decades and presenting his audience with nail-biting action scenes, Cruise acquired a power play in the entertainment sector.
However, despite his dominance and fame,Tom Cruisefaced several rejections throughout his career. But the one that stands out among all, is his rejection from a 2012 sci-fi Disney filmJohn Carter. Reportedly lobbying for the role in the movie, Cruise didn’t get it, as the opportunity went on to another actor Taylor Kitsch, 20 years younger than him.
“I had Taylor already in mind by the time Tom made his interest known. Tom had a long history with the material, so it wasn’t too surprising to discover he still had interest in it.” co-writer/director Andrew Stanton shared in an interview withThe Wrap.
Recalling Cruise’s desperate attempts of winning the role with his breathtaking audition, actor Lynn Collins mentioned the issue with the actor’s age.
“I mean the people who were testing were the people that they were considering and they were all 20 years younger than him…I mean, it may have been a desire. I don’t know how practical that desire was.” Collins shared.
Thus, it turns out Andrew Stanton eventually settled forTaylor Kitschover Cruise. Although the rejection must have felt demotivating for Cruise at the moment, it sure appeared as a blessing later on.
Also read:Is Tom Cruise A Billionaire Yet? $600M Rich Mission Impossible Star Buys And Sells Private Jets In His Free Time
Tom Cruise Luckily Saved His Career From Downfall
Andrew Stanton directedJohn Carter(2012) is a Disney sci-fi movie about Civil War veteran John Carter (played by Taylor Kitsch). Navigating the story as the pivotal character mysteriously awakes on the surface of a barren planet Barsoom, the movie takes on an adventurous mode portraying 12-foot-tall barbarians, seemingly inhabiting the planet. Held captive by the barbarians, John Carter learns about his superhuman capabilities and rescues a princess on the run.
Upon learning the storyline, no matter how bollocks it sounds, the movie further disgraced itself with its box office loss. Appearing as a major financial miss,Andrew StantondirectedJohn Carteras a mega-budget disaster competing with other flop movies likeHeaven’s GateandIshtar. Earning $284M worldwide, the movie failed to achieve its production cost, which ranged between $250M to $307M. Walt Disney thus took a $200M loss on the picture and made it serve as a cautionary example for filmmakers.
Considering the failure ofJohn Carterit can be stated with utmost clarity, Tom Cruise dodged a bullet by gracefully accepting his rejection. Although Taylor Kitsch who played the main character, further acted in several high-profile projects like HBO’s critically-acclaimed seriesTrue Detective, it took years for the young actor to get over the loss. Thankfully Cruise didn’t face the repercussions, as his career went uphill following massive hit films.
Watch Disney’sJohn Carteronly on Disney+ Hotstar.
Read more:“I wouldn’t change a thing”: John Carter Star Taylor Kitsch on Box Office Flop Becoming a Disney Cult Hit Celebrated Across Generations
Source:Forbes,The Wrap
Krittika Mukherjee
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3219
Krittika Mukherjee is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on films, TV shows, and celebrity news with over 3,000 articles published. With an educational background in Journalism, and a keen interest in filmmaking, Krittika blends factual precision with creative flair, when crafting her editorials, or dissecting fan theories.Her coverage often includes news and analyses of critically acclaimed films, celebrity news, and franchises like the Wizarding World, LOTR, DC, and MCU—particularly Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Superheroes, and fan theories. As a Wizarding World aficionado, Krittika has spent countless hours exploring hidden backstories, unadapted book moments, spells, and trivias surrounding J.K. Rowling’s lore.An imaginative writer with a way with words, Krittika has worked as an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a web content writer for a year. She brought her experience and expertise to FandomWire to pursue her desire for sipping coffee while dissecting films and tracking celebrity drama.
