Tom Cruise Wanted to Play Rorschach in Zack Snyder’s ‘Watchmen’

By Mike Redmond | Pajiba Love | April 18, 2024 |

By Mike Redmond | Pajiba Love | April 18, 2024 |

All of this is going to sound crazy, but I swear to God it makes sense. Around the time Zack Snyder was getting ready to make Watchmen, the dude was riding high off of 300. Hollywood was Zack Snyder and Gerard Butler’s oyster, and man, did they squander it. Holy sh*t. Anyway, Tom Cruise, on the other hand, had just jumped all over Oprah’s couch and was still radioactive after publicly criticizing Brooke Shields for using antidepressants for postpartum depression. Despite all of that, Zack was open to casting Cruise as Ozymandias, but Tom was only interested in Rorschach. Now, it might seem like Zack Snyder is a barrel of bad ideas, but back then, he was still on his game. He already had Jackie Earle Haley in pocket and stuck with that casting, which was absolutely the right call. Say what you will about the movie, and how Snyder completely missed the point of the book, but that casting was on point. And that’s the story of the time Zack Snyder had enough juice to turn down Tom Cruise. (Comic Book)

In related news, Suri Cruise is freaking 18! What even is time? (Lainey Gossip)

Marjorie Taylor Greene crop-dusted the Ukraine and Israel aid bills. (Wonkette)

Fallout has been officially renewed for Season 2, which is probably not a huge surprise. Not only is the show a blast — I’ll let myself out. — but almost everyone I know who’s watched it has been seeking out the games. (Variety)

Quentin Tarantino’s 10-movie retirement plan has some flaws. (THR)

A24 is getting rightly roasted over for a series of Civil War posters that definitely look like they were made with AI. (Gizmodo)

Oh, and speaking of AI systems, we let one pilot a goddamn fighter jet. That is a wild swerve from “generative AI is the next NFT-level scam,” which is where I thought we landed. Nope! That shit is flying jets now. Fighter jets. What could go wrong? (The Verge)

Alan Ritchson ran into an understandable problem while making The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. (Uproxx)

Marty Scorsese is working with… Seth MacFarlane? (A.V. Club)

Owen Wilson had the perfect analogy for Loki. (The Mary Sue)

My deepest condolences to Warwick Davis and his family. (The Daily Beast)

After ripping through Freida McFadden’s thrillers, The Housemaid and The Housemaid’s Secret, kfishgirl is looking forward to the third book in June. “There’s definitely a menacing vibe throughout both of the books though, which was fun!” What is your most anticipated release of the summer? (Cannonball Read 16)