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23
August 2006
Tom
Cruise And Paramount
Sever
Ties
Tom
Cruise
and Paramount
Pictures
have ended a 14-year
working relationship,
with both parties
claiming to have chosen
to sever
ties.
The
film studio told the
Wall Street Journal it
had decided not to renew
its deal with the star
because "his recent
conduct has not been
acceptable".
His
opinions on use of
anti-depressants and his
relationship with Katie
Holmes have made
headlines in the past
year.
But
his business partner
Paula Wagner said they
chose to leave
Paramount.
She
said Cruise/Wagner
Productions had been
planning to set up
independent financing
for their films "for a
long time".
"For
us this is a very new
and exciting direction,"
she told the Associated
Press. "We look forward
to working with all the
studios."
In
a separate interview
with the Reuters news
agency, Ms Wagner
responded to comments
made by Sumner Redstone,
chairman of Paramount's
parent company Viacom,
to the Wall Street
Journal.
"Whatever
remarks Mr Redstone
would make about Tom
Cruise personally or as
an actor have no bearing
on what this business
issue is," she
said.
"There
must be another agenda
that the studio has in
mind to take one of
their greatest assets
and malign him in this
way."
During
the past decade, Tom
Cruise's films - which
include the three
Mission: Impossible
movies - have generated
more than $2 billion
(£1.5 billion)
worldwide.
But
the third Mission:
Impossible film put in a
relatively disappointing
performance at the box
office.
Despite
this, the 44-year-old
actor was named the
world's most powerful
celebrity by US magazine
Forbes earlier this
year.
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