Tom Cruise is one of the most beloved action stars working in the industry at the moment. The actor has constantly tried to provide the ultimate theatrical experience and has pushed for a more practical approach to filmmaking. The Mission Impossible star is credited with having single-handedly revived the theatrical business with last year’s Top Gun: Maverick.
Cruise has been working for the past four decades and has technically delivered only one box office bomb in his career, the Ridley Scott-directed dark fantasy film Legend. However, the film was not a complete disaster as it led to the actor starring in one of his most celebrated films.
Tom Cruise’s Lone Box-Office Bomb
Tom Cruise may have ‘saved cinema’ according to Steven Spielberg with his Top Gun: Maverick earning over a billion dollars at the box office and is known to known to give a miss rarely. There has only been one box office bomb in his career and that is Ridley Scott’s dark fantasy adventure film Legend. The film also starred Mia Sara and Tim Curry, with the latter playing Darkness. The film follows the story of Jack, a hero who must save the world from Darkness as she tries to cover the entire world in an endless night.
The film was conceived by Scott after being involved in an adaptation of the legend of Tristan and Isolde. The director conceptualized Legend after being inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, with screenwriter William Hjortseberg writing the screenplay. The film was passed over by Disney as the material was deemed too dark for the studio who were still making family-friendly films at the time. The film was finally picked up by Universal Pictures.
Apart from Cruise, actors such as Johnny Depp, Jim Carrey, and Robert Downey Jr., were considered for the role of Jack. Legend was released in 1985 after a troubled post-production after the studio released a heavily cut-down version of the film after test screenings. The film was a box office disaster, earning only $23.5 million against its $25 million budget.
Tom Cruise Got His Biggest Action Film Due To Legend
While Tom Cruise got his action-hero image from the two-and-a-half decade-long Mission Impossible franchise, the only two-film old Top Gun series is more beloved by fans. The film was a breakthrough for the actor, who had only featured in teen dramas. The action drama propelled the actor to superstardom.
However, Cruise has to thank his box-office disaster Legend for being chosen for the role of Pete Mitchell a.k.a Maverick in Top Gun. The latter was directed by the late Tony Scott, who was the brother of Legend’s director Ridley Scott. On the 30th anniversary rerelease of the classic, Tom Cruise recounted to Entertainment Weekly the story of how he was offered the role. The actor reportedly first came to know about the project in 1983, while he was shooting in London for Legend,
“I remember I didn’t address ‘Top Gun’ during that time period, I was focused on shooting Legend… In 1984, Ridley said, ‘You gotta meet my brother.’ He’s going to direct this film ‘Top Gun.’ It had things I love: movies and aviation.”
While Cruise was considering the role, it was offered to actor Matthew Modine, who mentioned that he had turned down the film as it did not align with his politics. The makers of Top Gun were impressed with Tom Cruise since his appearance in Risky Business, and the rest is history.
Top Gun was released in 1986 to universal acclaim and earned over $357 million against a $15 million budget. It became a pop culture phenomenon and reportedly even inspired many young men to join the force as a pilot. Its sequel, Top Gun: Maverick was released thirty-six years later and earned over $1.4 billion at the box office. It was the highest-grossing film of Tom Cruise’s career. And it all happened due to the failed, yet cult-classic Ridley Scott film.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
