Cruise's Partner Quits UA

The next mission impossible for Tom Cruise may be reviving his own career, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Cruise's business partner Paula Wagner is quitting her job as CEO of United Artists just weeks after her husband, Cruise's agent Rick Nicita, left CAA. The changes likely reflect the star's unhappiness with his career as he casts about for suitable roles and a new screen image, say industry observers.

Cruise and Wagner's latest film project, Valkyrie, in which Cruise plays anti-Nazi Claus von Stauffenberg, has been shuffled around the release calendar, which is usually a sign that it's not expected to do well. He also just lost a movie role to Angelina Jolie. Cruise and Wagner will keep a substantial ownership interest in United Artists, according to a studio statement.
(More United Artists stories.)