Tom Cruise’s ‘Deeper’ Horror Movie Faces Budget Clash & Release Delay

Tom Cruise knows how to blow up a budget. But this time, the numbers on his next big project, Deeper, might be too deep even for Hollywood’s top star.

Word going around is that Cruise wants $275 million to make Deeper happen. Warner Bros. isn’t feeling that number. Studio heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy have apparently told Cruise that the cap is $230 million. Now that $45 million gap is causing all kinds of headaches.

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The plot itself sounds wild enough to chew through a massive budget. An astronaut diving into an unexplored trench only to find something horrifying waiting for him? It’s part horror, part sci-fi, and big on special effects. It’s the kind of thing Cruise loves — huge scale, crazy stunts, edge-of-your-seat action.

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But even for Cruise, that extra $45 million isn’t small change. Reports say Cruise and his team didn’t expect WB to push back so hard. Now they’re scrambling to find another studio that might say yes to his vision. Universal’s name keeps popping up as the backup plan.

There’s more to the tension too. Cruise’s relationship with Warner Bros. has cooled. Even though they’ve got him lined up for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s next film, Cruise is said to be “out of love” with the studio. Not exactly helpful when you’re asking for nearly 300 million bucks.

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Deeper was first written by Max Landis but is getting a new script from Christopher McQuarrie. He’s Cruise’s long-time creative partner — the two have teamed up for Mission Impossible hits and more. Doug Liman’s in the director’s chair. He and Cruise last worked together on Edge of Tomorrow and American Made, so there’s trust there to pull off something ambitious.

Still, when you mix deep-sea horror, massive effects, and a star who wants it just right, the dollars add up fast. Whether Warner Bros. stays on board or Universal steps in, fans just hope Cruise gets his terrifying trench dive made before the budget battle sinks it for good.