Tom Cruise’s “Deeper” Faces Budget Crisis, Racing Toward A New Studio

Dan Lalonde
Jul 5
1 min read

What's your favorite Tom Cruise film?

Tom Cruise’s ambitious underwater thriller Deeper has hit turbulent waters. Just days after reports suggested filming could begin in August, production now faces a major setback: Warner Bros. Pictures may be stepping away.

Directed by Doug Liman, and co-starring Ana de Armas, Deeper was initially greenlit with a $200 million budget. However, new details from Puck News reveal Cruise is pushing for a $275 million budget—a figure Warner Bros. refuses to match. The studio reportedly capped its offer at $230 million and is unwilling to stretch further.

This sudden financial standoff has left Cruise and his production team scrambling to find a new home for the project. Universal Pictures is reportedly in talks to acquire the film, which has already undergone several months of prep work. A quick resolution is critical to keep the shooting schedule intact.

Deeper stars Cruise as a disgraced astronaut on a high-stakes mission to explore a mysterious ocean trench. But what he uncovers beneath the surface is anything but ordinary—a dangerous supernatural force awaits.

Cruise is still reeling from the financial strain of the last two Mission: Impossible films. Though both Dead Reckoning and The Final Reckoning earned over $500 million globally, their soaring production costs left profitability in question.

Now, with Deeper hanging in the balance, all eyes are on whether Cruise can anchor a deal before this deep-sea adventure sinks before it even begins. Comment below with your thoughts.