Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas starrer underwater thriller Deeper might have hit a roadblock at Warner Bros

Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas starrer Deeper might have to look for a different home because the project has reportedly hit a roadblock at Warner Bros.

The film is supposed to be directed by Doug Liman, who will reunite with Cruise after 2014's The Edge of Tomorrow and 2017's American Made. Considered to be a "supernatural thriller," the film follows Cruise as an astronaut who discovers an ocean trench during his deep dive underwater. It leads him to a mysterious force.

Per reports from Matthew Belloni's Puck News, Cruise and De Armas have undergone diving training sessions for their roles. Warner Bros. has reportedly also worked on the previsualization for the project.

Yet, the film might not have a future at the studio. In the recent past, Warner Bros. has been cautious with its choices. That's why they were hoping to make the film for no more than $230 million. However, per Puck News, Cruise and Liman are eying a $275 million budget. So, the studio behind Sinners and A Minecraft Movie might be pulling the plug on Cruise's latest project.

Puck News reports that Cruise might be looking for a new home, whether that's Universal or another studio. It puts another challenge in front of this project, which has been in development for almost a decade.

The history behind Doug Liman's Deeper, which now stars Tom Cruise

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The project comes from a script by Max Landis, which has been stuck in development limbo for many years at MGM. Initially, Deeper was supposed to star Bradley Cooper with Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó (White God, Pieces of a Woman) directing. Later, it was also expected to be helmed by Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur, working with Idris Alba besides 2022's Beast.

MGM hit a pause on this project after multiple allegations against Landis of emotional and s*xual abuse. Eventually, Liman and Cruise got on board, according to a December 2024 report from Deadline.

Belloni reports that Christopher McQuarrie has rewritten Landis' script, reuniting with Cruise after their prolonged collaborations on the Mission: Impossible films. However, Warner Bros. might not be going forward with the film, according to Belloni's report. The update comes in the wake of a lukewarm box office report of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

Despite Puck's reports, we are yet to receive an official comment from the studio or the star about the project's future. However, per Words of Reel, its tentative release date might be before October 2026 when his Alejandro G. Iñárritu collaboration hits theaters.

What else is Tom Cruise working on besides Deeper?

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In addition to Deeper, Cruise is set to lead an Untitled Alejandro G. Iñárritu Film, along with Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, Emma D'Arcy, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, and Michael Stuhlbarg, among others. Said to be a comedy-drama film, its logline currently reads,

"The most powerful man in the world causes a disaster and embarks on a mission to prove that he is the savior of humanity."

Apart from that, Cruise is rumored to star in two more Christopher McQuarrie films: The Gauntlet and Broadsword. We'll hopefully learn more details about these projects and Deeper soon.