LAS VEGAS – Paramount Pictures will soon be a very different company. Once the Skydance merger is completed, the current regime will likely depart. That made it an uncomfortable public appearance for current Paramount co-CEO Brian Robbins. Long associated with the company since his directing days, Robbins noted he was “Proud of what we have accomplished despite all the noise at our parent company.” Robbins and his team are also leaving the cupboards somewhat bare (somewhat intentionally), but luckily, they still have one last Tom Cruise “Mission: Impossible” movie.
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Robbins touted just five live-action movies in production or about to shoot for 2026. There is Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “Children of Blood and Bone” shooting in South Africa with Viola Davis, Regina King, Cynthia Erivo, and Thuso Mbedu. David Ayer’s “Heart of the Beast” with Brad Pitt is filming in New Zealand. The “Untitled Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Kendrick Lamar Project” is dated for March 2026 and will “be loud.” “Scream 7” is shooting, and “Sonic the Hedgehog 4” should arrive in 2027. That’s putting a lot of pressure on the new Skydance crew to get a ton of projects off the ground sooner rather than later (whenever that may be).
Notably, “Regretting You,” starring Allison Williams, Scott Eastwood, Mckenna Grace, and Dave Franco, is shooting now for what the former told the audience is a fall release. Dated for October 25, that’s cutting it close even for a visual effects-free romantic drama.
For the movies that did preview, Robbins is going out with something of a bang. The new “Naked Gun” arriving in August with Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson looks funny (and profitable). A new animated version of “The Smurfs” with voice talent Rihanna, Nick Offerman, and John Goodman might actually make adults laugh, and “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarpants” arriving in December will keep that Nickelodeon property goldmine going.
Then there is Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man.” The director stopped by with stars Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, and Colman Domingo to introduce the first preview of the November release. Wright says unlike the 1987 movie, this version sticks closer to Stephen King’s original novel, and the trailer certainly depicts a more contemporary setting. This is not as futuristic a world or TV show as the one Arnold Schwarzenegger endured. Domingo, as the show’s host, looks like he could be working on any FOX or network broadcast today. Where Wright comes in is some big and bold action sequences as Powell’s character begins his “run.” Those moments feature Wright’s creative wit and are a perfect showcase for Powell’s natural charisma. Michael Cera stops by in a very funny cameo that should still make the final trailer release.
The other movie that should pique movie fans’ attention is Derek Cianfrance’s “Roofman” starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage, Juno Temple, and LaKeith Stanfield, among others. Set to release this fall just in time for awards season, the drama is the true story of Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum), who began robbing McDonald’s (it appeared to be a generic fast food restaurant in the footage) to support his family. After being jailed, he escapes only to hide out in a Toys “R” Us for months on end. While in the store, he falls for one of its employees, played by Dunst. The movie doesn’t have Cianfrance’s usual arthouse aesthetic (it hints at it barely, but Tatum and Dunst have fantastic chemistry, and the story could appeal to moviegoers in a “Catch Me If You Can” way.
Before premiering the final trailer for “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” Cruise came on stage to present Christopher McQuarrie with the CinemaCon Director of the Year Award. He started his remarks to reflect on his friend and co-star Val Kilmer, who passed away this week at 65.
“I’d like to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer,” Cruise said. “I really can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how much I thought of him as a human being, how honored I was when he joined ‘Top Gun’ and came back for ‘Top Gun: Maverick.‘ I think it would be great if we could all just take a moment and think about all the wonderful times we had with him. Would you all mind doing that? Let’s just take a moment.”
After the moment of silence, he ended with, “We wish you well on your next journey.”
Speaking from a pile of notecards instead of the usual teleprompter, Cruise begins by giving credit to McQuarrie for pulling “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” together. Telling a story about him fixing a narrative hiccup on set when McQuarrie didn’t even know he was going to rewrite the script on set. Cruise also spilled that McQuarrie saved “World War Z,” and directed reshoots, for his buddy Brad Pitt (he’s also looking forward to seeing Pitt drive again in “F1” after they used to race go-karts after filming “Interview with a Vampire.”)
For his part, the humble McQuarrie admits he was going to quit the movie business before he met Cruise. He says Tom saw his potential as a director that no one else did. He tells Cruise he’s “here today because of your vision and trust and to place you in harm’s way for other people’s entertainment.” That got a hearty laugh not only from the convention attendees but Cruise himself.
As for the new “Mission: Impossible” preview, which has still not dropped at publication, “The Final Reckoning” is still keeping details close to the vest, less than eight weeks from its global release. The movie seems to tie in moments from all the previous “Mission” movies and the consequences of those actions for our hero, Ethan Hunt. At one point, Hunt holds a knife he used in a pivotal scene in the first Brian De Palma-directed “Mission” movie. Quick shots did show Hunt jumping off an aircraft carrier into the ocean and a massive explosion in either the Arctic or Antarctica. The only real familiar faces in the preview outside of Cruise were Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Hannah Waddingham (for a split second), Shea Whigham, and Nick Offerman.
Cruise and McQuarrie ended Paramount’s presentation by going through a long list of people to thank for keeping the “Mission” movies alive. That list included everyone from Sumner Redstone to directors De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams, and Brad Bird to Cruise’s former producing partner Paula Wagner and a special shout out to former Paramount topper Sherry Lansing, whom Cruise first met at 18 when she was an exec at 20th Century Fox.
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