Summary
- Despite his immense success, Tom Cruise has never won an Oscar, but with his new deal focusing on original movies, that could change soon.
- Cruise has been nominated for an Oscar four times but has yet to receive the coveted award.
- The Academy Awards don’t often recognize performances in franchise movies, so Cruise’s return to original films may increase his chances of winning an Oscar.
Tom Cruise is, without a doubt, one of the most accomplished actors in Hollywood. However, one achievement has eluded the star over the course of his 43-year career. Cruise’s breakout role was as Joel in Risky Business in 1983, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance. He starred as Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun a few years later and quickly cemented himself as one of Hollywood’s leading men. A handful of Cruise’s other notable credits include Rain Man, A Few Good Men, Interview with the Vampire, the Mission: Impossible franchise, Jerry Maguire, Minority Report, War of the Worlds, and many more.
In January 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that they had finalized a deal with Cruise to develop and produce original and franchise movies. Cruise is coming off of his successful franchise films — Top Gun: Maverick in 2022 and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One in 2023 — and seemingly looking to spend more time working on original projects instead of solely focusing on sequels. Consequentially, a recognition Cruise has never received is now a very real possibility.
Tom Cruise Has Never Won An Oscar (But Been Nominated 4 Times)
Despite being one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Tom Cruise has not won an Oscar. He has been nominated at the Academy Awards on four separate occasions but has lost every time. Cruise was nominated for Best Actor for his roles as Sergeant Ron Kovic in Born on the Fourth of July and as the titular character in Jerry Maguire; Best Supporting Actor for playing Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia; and Best Picture for producing Top Gun: Maverick. Unfortunately, he has never taken home a win at the Oscars, but that can all change thanks to Cruise’s new deal with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Top Gun: Maverick Unintentionally Broke A 23-Year Tom Cruise Record That Helped Its $1.4B Success
Top Gun: Maverick broke records across the board for Tom Cruise, and one unintentional milestone helped the movie become a box office hit.
Returning To Original Movies Could Finally Win Tom Cruise An Academy Award
The press release on the deal between Warner Bros. Discovery and Tom Cruise specifically detailed that the agreement between the two entities entails working on original and franchise projects. Whereas Cruise has spent much of his time focusing on sequels to his successful films, now he can return to developing original stories. As a result, this deal means that Cruise could realistically win an Oscar in the next few years or so.
The Academy Awards rarely recognize performances in franchise movies — Angela Bassett’s work as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was the exception, and her loss is still hotly contested. If Cruise begins starring in original films again, the Oscars might start calling his name once again. However, only time will tell if Cruise‘s performances are Oscar-worthy.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
