New Tom Cruise underwater action thriller reportedly put on pause after budget spirals to $275m

Tom Cruise is going to have to hold his breath a little longer for his new film, Deeper, with Ana de Armas, after reports that Warner Bros. has halted development on the next project because of budgetary issues.

News from Puck reveals that the star has been trying to nail down a price tag of $275 million for the film's production, which the studio is not on board with, and is looking to settle for $230 million instead (have they not checked the back of their sofa?). Sources close to the site have revealed that the water tower isn't willing to spill any more on the film, forcing Cruise to take the project elsewhere and find another studio to agree to his required number. Regardless of this happening, though, it will leave a lot of work that Warner Bros. has already done in developing the project.

Directed by Doug Liman, the film features Cruise as a discredited astronaut who embarks on a deep-sea mission to explore a newly discovered ocean trench, with De Armas along for the ride. The two encounter trouble, however, when they uncover a dangerous and forgotten presence hidden in the depths.

As an alternative, Cruise has swiftly shopped the movie to Universal, who are supposedly close to taking over and willing to meet the number the star is aiming for. If all goes smoothly, they'll need to get a move on, as the original plan was for cameras to start rolling this summer.

It's an understandably concerning setback for Cruise, who would be making his first movie not linked to a franchise since 2017's American Made. There's also the important detail that, following Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which earned $566.8 million against a budget of nearly $400 million, Warner Bros. may be somewhat reluctant to invest in a film not linked to an existing IP that comes with an already established audience. It's a bit of a shame, given that the plotline for this one sounds fantastic. Fingers crossed, then, that Universal saves the day and Cruise gets to go Deeper, after all. Should you want to fill your Cruise quota with a film this week, why not check out our ranking of the star's best work here.