Tom Cruise resurrects United Artists

Posted Friday, November 3, 2006 at 12:01 PM Central

by John Couture

Tom Cruise sent shockwaves throgh Hollywood earlier this year when he and long-time studio backer Paramount Pictures decided to part ways. It was shocking because Cruise seemed to be one of the last studio leading men that was the hallmark of the Golden Age of film.

Now, Cruise and producing partner Paula Wagner are breathing new life in an old shingle, United Artists. UA was founded in 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith as a studio that would allow actors and actresses the ability to make creative projects without all the interference from a large studio.

United Artists plans to release about four films a year with Tom Cruise in complete control of the development track. Best of luck Tom, and here's hoping that he doesn't greenlight Battlefield Earth 2.