The 95th Academy Award nominees luncheon happened Monday, bringing all the darlings of this past award season together ahead of the big finale. Tom Cruise, whose career enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance with his 2022 box office and critical hit Top Gun: Maverick, and Guillermo del Toro, virtually guaranteed the Best Animated Feature trophy thanks to Pinocchio, were the protagonists of one of the most wholesome moments of the evening.
Per Deadline, while the actor was being mobbed by a crowd of fans – because even industry professionals can fangirl or fanboy out – the director approached him calling out “Tomás!,” which is just about the most Del Toro thing we’ve ever heard. Verbatim, “I must talk to Tomás. I must talk to Tomás,” is what del Toro said.
Del Toro and Cruise are something of a star-crossed pairing in the film world. Although they have never worked together in the past, it wasn’t for lack of wanting to.
Back in the early aughts, an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness was being developed and penned by The Shape of Water director, at some point adding Cruise to the mix as the leading man. Budget constraints and creative differences between del Toro and the studio kept it from ever moving forward.
Del Toro has said he might still make At the Mountains of Madness one day, but sadly Cruise being 15 years older might be a deal breaker when it comes to the actor’s role in the film.
There was also an adaptation of the British thriller/sci-fi series from the 60s The Champions, which del Toro was also hoping to remake with the master of espionage himself. Maybe that could still happen?
It definitely sounds like, at some point, Del Toro will find a way to work with “Tomás,” whatever the project. And with a dynamite duo like that, it could only be a hit.
Published: Feb 14, 2023 05:18 am