Report: Paramount Terminate's Tom Cruise's Contract
Citing Erratic Behavior, Paramount Ends Its Relationship With Tom Cruise, According to The Wall Street Journal
Aug. 22, 2006 — - A Wall Street Journal story released late today said Paramount Pictures is terminating its 14-year relationship with Tom Cruise, in part because of the actor's erratic behavior over the past year.
"As much as we like him personally, we thought it was wrong to renew his deal," Viacom Inc. Chairman Sumner Redstone told The Wall Street Journal. "His recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount."
Viacom is the parent company of Paramount.
Cruise, one of the most successful movie stars of all time, has starred in "Top Gun," "Rain Man" and three "Mission: Impossible" movies. The Journal story says the actor's moviemaking company, Cruise/Wagner Productions, has been located on the Paramount lot since 1992.
But increasingly unusual behavior during the past year, including a famous stint jumping on Oprah Winfrey's couch while explaining his relationship with actress Katie Holmes, has drawn questionable reactions from the press and public. Cruise has also become increasingly vocal about his involvement with the controversial Church of Scientology.
The Journal story said Paramount believes that Cruise's behavior hurt box-office receipts of the most recent "Mission: Impossible" movie, which was released in May.
A spokeswoman for Cruise/Wagner Productions declined to comment on the Journal story.
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