Tom Cruise was reportedly involved in SAG-AFTRA and studio negotiations before the actors' strike was called.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cruise joined a June negotiation meeting via Zoom to ask the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to listen to the union's worries about AI, as well as to encourage the AMPTP to back the union's stance on stunt performers.
Cruise also reportedly asked SAG-AFTRA to consider letting actors promote their movies during strike action – under the strike rules, no SAG-AFTRA actor can participate in any promotional activity, including interviews and red carpets. The report says Cruise made the request due to the shaky state of cinemas; the box office still isn't back to pre-pandemic levels.
Per THR, Cruise's involvement isn't all that unprecedented – performers can be involved in negotiating sessions to talk about issues they're particularly knowledgeable on. But, THR understands that no one else of Cruise's "caliber" was involved in negotiations "in this capacity."
Of course, ultimately, the outcome of negotiations was the actors' strike – and how long that could last remains to be seen. This is the first time actors and writers have been on strike at the same time since 1960 (the WGA writers' strike is ongoing).
Multiple productions have shut down entirely, including Deadpool 3, Gladiator 2, and Mortal Kombat 2, while some projects – like House of the Dragon season 2 – are still able to film.
You can see our guide to all of 2023's major movie release dates for everything that's still arriving this year.
